In Times Present
by My writing is this
Summary: The continuing story of Paige after leaving Rome, returning to a time that felt false. She had been living a secluded life. Regretting her choice, wanting to return. She wrote a novel about the Knights' that led her to another man. This is their story...
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Anything accociated with King Arthur is not mine.**

**A/N: Here is the beginning of the next chapter in Paige's story. This is just a recap of In Times Past. Just to hit some major points and all that. It's in one big blob kinda thing but leads into the rest of it. Hope you like this one as much as the first! **

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**_Prologue: Recap_**

Life had been a wild ride. First I was a normal girl; waiting to get engaged and to get married to the man I loved. Things may not have been going exactly the way I wanted but it was still an okay life. I was fine with the way things were going. That was until everything went topsy-turvy. The next thing I knew I was in a whole new world that looked like it came right out of the history books. There were trees and horses, swords and axes. At first glance it was a beautiful land. The beauty of it was quickly taken away. There the man I had hoped to marry, Derek, was murdered by feral men with painted skin. Not only that but I was tossed into the guardianship of the Legendary Sarmatian Knights', and yes, they were out of the history books. Derek's death made me flee to a dark place inside of myself. Wanting nothing more than to be left alone. Wanting to let my grief absorb me in every way. The knights' wouldn't allow it and in the end I was forced to come out of my shell. Anger and sorrow were the first to come out. Even though I lashed out at them I was treated well and one in particular, Dagonet, wanted nothing more than to help and befriend me. I was, in a sense, their captive but I was the only one to see it that way. They were nothing but kind, all of them. While with them I learned of Saxons and Woads, of the knights' freedom and how it was being snatched away from them. In the mist of their own misery I left to find Derek's body, to bury him, to try and find some peace. There another knight confronted me, one with a hardened heart and a stubbornness to match my own. He gave me one day to find the body or he would take me back to the fortress. I found the body and did put him to rest but in the meantime I managed to get even further into trouble and was captured by soldiers, being tossed into the dungeon of hell. There I met Guinevere and Lucan. Two amazing people who had a large impact on my life. In the dungeon we were tortured in every way possible. I thought I was going to die in that place. I didn't think there was any way that I was going to live through it. Only my hope was restored when the knights' came through for all three of us, saving us from that horrid place. Afterward, I couldn't help but trust them. I put faith in them and in myself that they were more allies and friends than anything else. Dagonet had become a close friend. Even though Dagonet wanted more of me then friendship my eyes couldn't help but linger on the scout I had come to hate and yet love at the same time. Tristan was hard but I held a soft spot inside of him and he held a soft spot inside of me. Shortly after my rescue Tristan and I did become involved. I took comfort in him and with that the bitterness of losing Derek was gone. As days went on Tristan and I became closer and closer. My heart had found the place it truly wanted to reside in and I held onto that. Loving him for everything he was and the way he made me feel. But finding love also cost me love. We lost Dagonet to the Saxons even though I had risked myself to save him. His death hit us all hard. Bors was a kind hearted knight and was the closest friend of Dagonet's. He was hurt the worst. After Dag's death Bors and I became closer, grieving for our friend. He invited me to be a part of his family, watching out for me even though I didn't need it. Tristan and I became more involved in every way. He put up with me while I grieved for Dag and was there for me in every way that I needed him to be. When the worst of it past he and I were happy. We were happy as every couple should be happy. Though Tristan had his flaws. He was perhaps, sometimes, a little too violent and his way of dealing with people sometimes included beating them, possibly killing them. Even though nine times out of ten it was only in my defense. It caused a rift in our relationship but it lasted momentarily. Even though his flaws were a little worse than leaving socks lying around or not cleaning up the kitchen, I loved him. I loved him more than I had loved anything. We were happy, so happy that he proposed to me. We got married with everyone we cared about there to share it with us. For only a short while we were the happiest I could remember being. Only it was short lived, for our marital bliss was cut short with the arrival of the Saxon army. Tristan was to leave with me. To leave so we'd live another day. I was grateful that he loved me enough to leave. Only, even though he loved me more than anything, Tristan decided to stay and fight with Arthur against the Saxons. I stayed and fought along side my knights' and my husband. Guin with her own people ready to fight without hesitation. I admired her and even though I was scared I wasn't going to leave Tristan or the others. I hadn't come as far as I had to run now. But my happiness was never meant to last. Tristan, my husband, was killed by the Saxon leader right in front of my eyes. I was once again thrown into a world of grief. He died in my arms. Something I would never recover from. I stayed with the remaining knights' long enough to bury the love of my life and to do my best and celebrate Arthur and Guinn's wedding. I said my goodbyes and rode off into the distance, about to try and find a way back. My way was found for me when the same white light appeared and I was in the same woods I had left from. After I settled what needed to be settled with the people from my old life I went into solitude. I cut myself off of everyone, not wanting to deal with anyone, wishing that I hadn't left the past, the life I wanted to live. It was all I could think about. I even dreamt about the knights' and the life I had left behind. I decided to write it all down. I wrote it in a journal before I wrote a book based on all of my experiences with the knights' and the others I had come in contact with. The book was more of a success than I had thought it would be. I had written it as more of a closer before deciding I wanted to share it. Wanted people to know how amazing these men and women were. At the book's opening everyone was raving about the book. Including the man Carol Figgins dragged me over to meet. Only this man was not just any man…


	2. Unbelievable

**Disclaimer: See the prologue.**

**A/N: Chapter two, the real beginning I guess. I hope you like it. Reviews are always good. Thanks for reading!!! **__

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**Chapter two: Unbelievable**

Even though his hair was shorter and his face was clean shaven there was no mistaking him. His hair fell over his forehead as he looked down at me, his familiar form only inches in front of me. I was so flabbergasted that my body froze. I didn't know what to think, or what to do. I was staring but I couldn't tear my eyes off of him. He was a site for sore eyes.

"Oh my God…" I didn't know what else to say.

"Are you okay?" He asked me.

"Your name is…" I stammered.

"It's Tristan dear." Carol said looking thoroughly confused.

"And you are…" I started before everything went fuzzy and I fainted.

When I woke up I was being carried. We were in a staff lounge somewhere in the store. I lifted my head and saw his face up close and personal. I freaked, struggling, giving him no other choice than to drop me.

"Oh, Paige!" Carol said to me.

"Are you okay?" He asked kneeling down. "Why did you struggle?"

"Just stay back." I said crawling backward away from him. "Just…stay back."

"All right." He said and stood, his hands raised in submission.

I stood up and started to pace. I didn't know what to think. I put my hand to my face, blocking him from my view.

"Paige, honey, what's wrong?" Carol asked coming up to me.

"I just need to think." I told her, pacing again. I stopped and crossed my arms, staring at him. "I don't understand." I told him.

"What don't you understand?" Carol asked me.

"Carol!" I shot at her. "Please, just be quiet for a minute." I told her and looked back at him. "Tristan…"

"Paige…" He replied.

Just hearing him say my name again made my heart sore. "How did this happen?" I asked him.

"What?" He asked confused.

"I just can't believe that it's you." I said as tears sprang to my eyes. "Tristan…" I said throwing my arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around me and I gripped him harder. "I thought I'd never see you again." I said, taking his head in my hands.

"Paige, what are you talking about?" He asked, taking my hands away from his head.

I held tight to his hands. "What?" I asked him. Then it dawned on me that he had no idea what I was talking about. I got caught up in seeing a man that looked identical to Tristan. Identical to my husband. "Sorry." I said and backed away from him. "I'm sorry." I said and ran from the room.

Ludo was sitting outside the door. He was clearly upset and when he saw me he glued himself to me, making sure I was okay. I called him as I ran from the store. I didn't have a plan. I had no way of transportation so the next best thing was going on foot. I started to run through the streets, not knowing what else to do. I ran to the nearest bus station and got Ludo and me a one way bus ticket back home. I was accustomed to walking and had no worries if it took me a while to get there. Ludo seemed to know that something was up and he whined, leaning against me. I just stroked his head comfortingly and loaded us onto the next bus.

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It had been nearly a week since the opening. No one seemed to think it odd that I had left. Carol had fed them a lie and everyone seemed to have believed it. She didn't want my quick exit to hurt my book in any way. I left her to deal with the book and I went back to my usual daily life. Being alone I was naturally quiet but I had barely said two words to Ludo since being back. The dog's sixth sense was tingling and was overly clingy. Normally I would have no trouble with it but after seeing Tristan, the present version, I hadn't been quite right. I had been shaken to the bone and I had no idea what to think of it. I had been overjoyed to see those eyes looking at me. They looked through me like they always had. To try and forget about it I threw myself into fixing things up around the house. I did a mild remodeling in the kitchen. I replaced the fence posts that needed to be replaced, even some that didn't just to blow off some steam. I took to running through the woods to try and exhaust myself at night. Sleeping had become an issue and I needed something to wear me out. I wasn't much for running but right now it felt good. Ludo wasn't very excited about it but refused to leave me alone. Although it didn't matter when he lagged behind me by yards. We'd get home and he'd go right to his bed and lay down, not moving for the rest of the night. I felt bad for him, telling him that he didn't need to come with me but being my constant companion he felt the need to be with me constantly. He was the one thing I could always depend on.

I sat in my big cozy armchair and took the hardcover book from the end table. I turned it over and saw Ludo and myself looking back up at me. I turned it back over and looked at the drawing on the front of it. A group of seven men on horse back depicting my Sarmatian Knights'. I ran my hand across it before opening the book randomly and started to read.

_She watched him as he stood in front of her. She leaned against the headboard and watched as a small smile graced his lips. His fingers unbuttoning his shirt, revealing his well-toned chest. She couldn't help but grin at him, almost laughing with the anticipation of him finally crawling across the bed to her. She quivered as he toyed with her. When he finally moved toward her she spread her knees. He crawled up to her and she pulled him into her arms. She met his lips and their tongues danced as foreplay began._

I shut the book, not feeling like reading anymore. Of all the parts to have opened up to. I sighed and got up, running my fingers through my hair. I felt tears stinging. It was all about Tristan. Every happy moment in that damn book was about Tristan. My Tristan, the Tristan that lived in 300 AD. The one that existed today walked and talked exactly like him, _exactly _like him. It terrified me and yet all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him. I just wanted to be close to the man that looked like my husband. But I knew that I couldn't do it. I knew that I would never see him again. It was for the best, really it was. I wouldn't be able to handle it if I had to look at him and not be able to touch him, to feel his hands on me. I took a deep breath and walked from the house out to the barn. Ludo still asleep on his bed. I rushed out to the barn with every intention of jumping onto one of my horse's backs and running him till I felt better. By the time I got there I realized that it wasn't fair to the horse to push him just because I was miserable. Instead I stood in the barn, my breath coming in misty puffs from the cold night air. I paced back and forth as I thought of Tristan, both of them. I was getting so confused. Trying to differentiate which one I was trying to think of. My Tristan had long hair and a beard that tickled my cheeks. The new Tristan had shorter hair and was clean shaven but he was just as ruggedly handsome as ever. My anger and frustration built up and in desperation to release it I punched the wall as hard as I could, and immediately regretted it.

"OUCH!" I screamed holding my hand. "DAMN IT! Ah, I'm so stupid!" I told myself angrily.

"Are you okay?" A voice interrupted my yelling.

I froze as a figure came toward me. I went into fight mode and as they reached for me I grabbed them, falling backward and with my foot threw them over my head. I whipped over onto my stomach and got to my feet. I ran to the wall and flipped on the barn lights. Tristan was getting up off of the ground.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I yelled at him.

"What the hell was that?" He yelled back, getting to his feet.

"Why are you sneaking around my home?" I countered. "How the hell did you find me anyway?"

"Do you always beat up your guests?" He asked.

"I don't know. I'll have to let you know when I get one." I told him coldly. He just looked at me, his hands on his hips. "Now tell me what you're doing here." I demanded with my arms crossed.

"After what happened at the opening I tracked you down." He replied straightening his leather jacket.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I know who you are." He replied.

"You know shit about me. You only met me for five minutes." I shot at him.

"I'm a history major who specializes in the Roman Knights' of Legend." He told me.

I just looked at him. "What?"

"I know who you are." He said again.

"Get the hell off of my property." I told him through clenched teeth.

"We need to talk." He told me.

"_We _don't need to do anything." I told him. "Now get the _hell _off of my property."

"Fine." He said putting his hands up in surrender. I just glowered at him as he walked from the barn.

I listened to him start his truck and watched him drive off. I shook my head. "How the hell did he find me?" I asked aloud.

I yelled out in frustration and crossed my arms, making a face into the night. There were snorts behind me and both boys were looking at me with perked ears and intrigued looks in their eyes. I glowered at them and turned off the light. I walked back to the house and went into the den and to my nice cozy armchair. Ludo was still asleep on his bed.

"Thanks pal, you really came through for me tonight." I told him. He didn't even twitch. "I think it's time to cut out our nightly runs." I decided. "He tracked me down. This is unbelievable."


	3. An Explanation

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters**

**A/N: I haven't gotten one review for this story so I'm not sure on how well it's being recieved. If you could please review that would be great. I don't have a clear idea of where the stories going but I would like to know what you think of it so far. It'd be a big help. Thanks for reading anyway though! I hope you enjoy the chapter!!! **

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_Chapter Three: An Explanation_

I had trouble sleeping that night. I kept dreaming about the knights' and Tristan, both Tristan's. It'd be my Tristan one second and then the other would appear. It didn't help at all with my confusion. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to put myself in the position to get hurt. I've been hurt so much. If it happened again I didn't know if I'd be able to come back from it. If I let myself get attached to this Tristan I wouldn't be able to stand it if I couldn't have him. I didn't want to be cruel but at the same time he had said something to me that got me thinking. I didn't know if my name would be found in history. I hadn't even thought of the effects my being there would have on history. Every life and death happened as it was written but my being there was not a part of it. I didn't know what he knew but now I needed to find out. This meant more contact with a man that could change my life…again. I woke up in the middle of the night and grabbed Ludo, pulling him against me. He turned his head and gave me a quick lick before putting his leg over my arm.

"What am I going to do?" I asked him. "Hm? What am I going to do?"

Once the sun finally rose I got up, sleep wasn't coming so there was no point in just laying in bed. I splashed cold water on my face before running my fingers through my hair. Ludo was at my side as we walked toward the kitchen. I smelled the coffee and was eager to get a cup. I was halfway down the stairs when Ludo's ears perked and he ran ahead of me and into the kitchen. I frowned and slowly followed him. I stopped momentarily to grab the dagger that was under the small table in the entryway. I slowly made my way into the kitchen to see the familiar form pouring a cup of coffee. I loosened my grip on the dagger and leaned against the door frame, crossing my arms.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" I asked.

"Do you ever lock your doors?" He countered.

"No need." I replied. He turned around and raised a brow at the dagger before he handed me the cup of coffee. "I prefer cream and sugar." I told him as I placed the dagger back where I got it.

"Already in." He replied. I frowned at him. "I wasn't sure how much but it was in the fridge so I thought I'd add it in."

I continued to frown but walked up to him accepting the cup from him, taking a drink. It was nearly perfect. I sighed heavily and looked at him. "Why are you here?" I asked him. "I thought I told you to leave."

"You did." He replied taking a drink from his own cup. Ludo was sitting next to him. Tristan gently stroked his head, scratching behind his ears.

"Traitor." I frowned at my dog. Ludo whined and walked over to me, sitting at my side. "That's better."

"He's a good dog." Tristan told me.

"You have any?" I asked him.

"Four." He replied.

"Four, what, is the wife taking care of them?" I asked.

He laughed. "No wife." He told me. "But you have a husband."

"No I don't." I replied.

He grinned and walked up to me. He gently grabbed my hand and touched the ring on my finger.

"It has my name on it." He replied.

I took my hand away. Any niceties that I was planning on making were gone. "Get out." I told him.

"Sore subject isn't it?" He replied.

"Just go." I told him.

"I'd really like to ask you a few questions." He replied. "About the book that is. I really enjoyed it and I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Bullshit." I told him.

He gave me a small smile. "Yeah, I suppose it is."

"I want you to leave now." I told him harshly. Ludo's hackles started to rise and a low growl was in his throat. "I won't ask you again."

"Than make me." Tristan said stepping up to me.

He was really starting to piss me off. I didn't know what to say to him to make him leave. I tightened my grip on the cup causing it to break, pieces digging into my hand. I didn't yell out but dropped the pieces that weren't stuck in my skin.

"Are you going to deal with that?" He asked pointing at my hand.

"After you're gone." I replied.

"So you're going to drip blood onto the floor until I leave?" He confirmed.

"Don't make me ask you again." I told him.

"I was thinking about leaving but now that you have shards of glass sticking out of your hand I think I'll just wait a little bit longer before I take off." He said and took the first aid kit from on top of the refrigerator.

"How the hell do you know where shit is?" I asked him.

"I'm observant." He smiled.

"Don't do that." I said softly, not looking at him.

"Can we talk now?" He said forcing me to sit down in a chair.

"I can seat myself thank you very much."

"Shut up." He told me. "Give me your hand." I didn't so he grabbed it. It hurt like hell but I didn't call out. "Sorry."

"It's fine." I replied.

He smiled. I melted. "You don't have to be strong."

"Of course I do." I told him. "I can't afford not to be. I've been through too much to be weak."

"I'm not going to hurt you." He replied.

"You hurt me every time you look at me." I told him honestly. "You have no idea how much."

"I do." He said looking me in the eyes. "While I do this, can we talk? Can I try and explain?"

"Explain what?" I asked.

"How I know that you're my aunt." He replied.

I froze at his words. "What?" I asked. Then Carol's words ran through my head. _He's named after a great, great, whatever great uncle of his._ "Are you Tristan's nephew?" I asked him.

"I learned of my lineage when I was very young. It sparked my interest and I looked into it. First it was just the stuff from the encyclopedias and such. Then I started talking to all of my relatives from Rome and they had a lot of stories to tell. I learned a lot and they had a lot of things from their old villages. I found a lot of interesting information from them and from my visits to Rome. I have relatives there still today and I visit them at least once a year. In particular though, was my great uncles wife. She was said to be extremely beautiful, stubborn but kind hearted. She had a way with words. Or so they say." He said and paused pulling the glass shard from my hand. I yelled out and he immediately put pressure on the wound. "Sorry. She was odd, unlike everyone else. She nearly died and fought with the knights' during the biggest battle of their time. Her name was Paige. Odd coincidence don't you think?"

"It's a popular name." I retorted.

He laughed. "Yeah, but the pictures my family has of her is identical to you."

"What pictures?" I asked.

"Drawings from some celebration. You and him, the others…" He said and paused looking in my eyes. I didn't want to give anything away but the expression on his face told me I had done just that. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?" He asked.

I took the gauze from his hands, putting pressure on my wound. I stood up and looked down at him. I was going to yell at him and tell him to get out, but right before I said anything I changed my mind. "Follow me." I knew he wasn't going to let it go. I led him into the den and stood in front of my framed drawings. "Do these look familiar?" I asked him.

He walked up to them and looked at them closely. "They're the same. In better condition, but they are from the same artist." He replied and studied the one in the middle. The one of Tristan. "Where did you get them?" He asked.

"I thought you knew?" I countered.

He smiled. "Some things still surprise me."

"I got them from a young girl. She gave them to me after the celebration." I told him. He looked at me and his smile faltered. He looked tense but I couldn't read him. "Are you okay?" I asked him. "You keep saying that you know. Do you not know as much as you think you know?"

"I do know. A distant cousin drew those pictures." He told me. I looked at him intrigued. "She was a wonderful artist. Or so I've been told. Now it's confirmed." He said and paused. "I figured it out, you being the same Paige, and your book only confirmed it but just wrapping my head around you actually talking about it is something a little different." He told me.

I smiled at him; he reluctantly gave me one back. "Should we stop this little share fest?" I asked him.

"No, I've been waiting a long time to hear this." He told me. "But first, let's fix your hand."

"I think the bleedings stopped." I told him.

"Come on." He smiled and put his hand on my back.

"Let's not touch." I said moving away from him.

"Sorry." He said and walked into the kitchen ahead of me.

Butterflies were starting to swarm in my stomach as I tried not to check him out as he walked in front of me. I walked past him and sat down, grapping fresh gauze and tape from the first aid kit. I was going to deal with it myself but he grabbed my hand holding it briefly before I pulled away from him. He smiled but finished taking out the bandaging supplies before slowly removing the bloody gauze from my hand.

"I'm just going to clean it up a little. It might sting." He told me as he started to put peroxide on the wound. It hurt like hell but I only let a frown cross my face. "Sorry." He told me.

"It's fine. Stop apologizing." I told him. "Jeez, you may look exactly like him but personality wise there are defiantly some differences."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" He asked.

"Ow!" I yelled as he pulled a small piece of glass out of my palm.

"Sorry." He said again. I glared at him. "Sorry, woops, so –" He said and stopped, glaring back at me.

I couldn't help but laugh at him. "It's fine." I told him again. "Thank you, for this." I said as he started to wrap my hand.

We didn't say anything as he finished. I couldn't help but stare at him. He may have pissed me off more times than my husband but just looking at him made me want to be with him. But I fought the urge and it helped that he pulled to tight and caused pain to sear through my hand.

"There…done." He said and stood up.

"Thank you." I told him.

"Any time." He smiled.

"I hope not, but thanks all the same." I grinned at him. "So, back to the talking thing?"

"If you want to." He said sweetly.

"Really? Than you have a safe trip back." I said leading him to the door.

"I was just being polite." He told me, stopping me from grabbing the doorknob.

"I figured, but one can hope can't they?" I said walking into the den.

I sat in my armchair and watched as he stood in front of the pictures again. Once he seemed to have looked enough he sat on the couch. Ludo gave my hand a lick before lying in his bed. I smiled at him before looking back at Tristan. There was an odd expression on his face. One that my husband never made. It was sadness in a way. Something my Tristan didn't show often. He also showed it differently.

"Where do you want to start?" I asked him. "I'm in a sharing mood. You better ask now before my mood changes."

He just looked at me, an unreadable expression on his face. "What was different than what was in the book?" He asked.

"A lot of things were different. You're looking for answers, make your questions more specific." I told him.

He nodded. "How did you get there?"

"I don't know. Derek and I were in the woods when there was a flash of white light and then we fell into a river or stream and the Woads were rushing out of the woods. I left the same way. I was on my horse, riding away from the fortress and there was a flash of white light and I was dropped into the same clearing that I had left from. That's all there was to it. I don't know what caused it or why it happened but it did."

"Do you wish you had stayed?" He asked.

"All the time." I replied honestly.

"Did you really love him?"

"Your uncle?" I asked. He nodded. "More than anything. Losing him was the worst thing that has ever happened to me." I took a deep breath as tears sprang to my eyes. "He was my husband." I smiled. He didn't say anything. "Anything else?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'm working on it." He smiled, looking up at the pictures again. "The other knights'? Were they the way you depicted them in the book?"

"Yes they were. Though in person Lancelot was more of a womanizer than I made him in the book." I smiled. "Bors became a close friend. He kept tying to father me. Vanora was really nearly perfect, Arthur was an awesome leader, Guin was my best friend, and Gawain and Galahad were like brothers." I told him.

"How did you and Tristan get together?" He asked.

I looked at my hands and grinned. "He saved me from the Woads after I was wounded and Derek was dead. I fell into a sorrowful pit inside of me for a while and it was Tristan who forced me out of it. He threw me into bath water." I smiled at him. "He pissed me off so much. I hated him. But it didn't last long. He was good to me. He had his moments of driving me crazy but in the end he grew on me. Brought me back from my grief, helping me love again." I smiled and paused. My smile faded as I went on. "When the soldiers took me from the field and threw me into the dungeon, life seemed to be over for me, literally." I said trying to make him understand. "I could show you the scars and you still wouldn't know how much pain and suffering I went through, but me and the others were saved. Dagonet was the one to rescue me but Tristan was the one to comfort me as I healed. Not long after that the togetherness became permanent. We were together until the day he died." I finished.

He gave me a small smile. "How romantic." He said.

"It was." I told him. "You'd had to have been there."

"I would have loved it." He replied.

"As happy as I was there, there was a lot of pain involved." I said and walked over to him. "Here…" I said and put my hand out to him. "Feel these fingers. You can feel where they were broken and put back into place. Due to the lack of medical technology, when you get hurt they do things a little different. I'm lucky to still be alive. After the dungeons a nasty infection set in that probably should have killed me. Tristan tended to me diligently. Him and Dag. They're the reason I'm alive." I said and leaned back against the couch. "Sometimes I wonder why I survived and they didn't. It doesn't make any sense. They were knights' trained in combat and I was a small town girl thrown into the mix. I was taught by them but was still below them in nearly every way. And I'm still alive, and they're dead. How did they expect me to live with that?" I asked as tears sprung to my eyes again.

"They knew you were strong." Tristan told me and put his hand on my cheek.

I looked him in his eyes and found myself leaning toward him. I stopped and moved away from him. "What did I say about touching?" I asked.

"Sorry." He replied.

"And apologizing?" He was going to say it again but stopped. "It's just too weird. You look exactly like him. _Exactly_." I told him. "I loved him with everything inside of me. I loved him and then had to watch him die. He died in my arms." I said and wiped a tear from my cheek. "He died and I was left hollow and alone. I've lived with that. I've lived with my pain. Fed off of it and made a home with everything that I need, away from everything, living entirely alone. The only thing lacking is my husband. I settled with the fact that he was never coming back but I look at you and I see him. I see him in the way you look, the way you speak, the way you move. I see him in you and it scares me. It scares me to death because I see you and want him, so badly. I look at you and want to touch you so bad. I want you to touch me so I can feel him again. So I can feel like I have him back." I said and paused. "To want all of this is completely unfair to you." I told him wiping another tear away. "It's not fair and because of that we're going to stop talking about it. You can research the way you usually do but I need you to leave me out of it. I need you to leave my home and leave my life so I can go back to the way my life is supposed to be." I finished, taking a deep breath.

"You mean your life of solitude?" He asked.

"Yes, I like my life of solitude." I replied.

"No you don't." He told me. I frowned at him. "You want to be with someone. You want to be with the man you married. He's dead and I'm sorry but staying alone isn't going to solve anything. You need to get out of this house. Live a little."

I just looked at him. "I wake up breathing every day. That's all the living I can take. Any more and it hurts too much." I told him.

"You've been hurt beyond measure, I can see that. But I have a hard time believing that he would want you to live like this. He would want you to be happy." He told me.

_Promise me that you'll be happy._ Tristan's voice rang in my head. I lowered my eyes and crossed my arms. "Please leave." I told him.

"All right." He said and made his way to the door. "If you'll let me I'd like to come back."

"I don't think so." I told him.

"Please, I would like to talk more with you." He told me.

"Why?" I asked. My defenses back up. "Why do you want to know so badly? Is it for your personal knowledge or do you want to print this somewhere? If it's the latter then I don't want to see you again." I told him.

"And if it's the former?" He smiled, stepping up to me.

"Don't do that." I told him taking a step back. "And as for the former…" I said looking up at him. "The same answer." I said and turned away from him.

"I'll call you." He told me as he reached for the doorknob.

"You don't have my number." I said coming around the other side of the stairs.

I surprised him and he turned toward me, smiling. "Carol gave it to me." He grinned.

"What?" I said frowning at him. "She knows better than that." I said crossing my arms. "I just can't get rid of you." I said putting my hand to my forehead.

"Maybe that's a sign." He told me and winked before leaving.

I looked at the open door and shook my head, frowning. I slammed the door with my bad hand only to have pain move through it. I scowled and went upstairs to my room. I looked around the room and realized how dull my home was. I sat on my bed and put my head in my hands. I ran my fingers across the bandage, Tristan's face popping into my head. I ran my finger across my ring and realized something.

"I think I'm finally starting to let you go." I said aloud. Than also realized that I was letting Tristan go only to fall for Tristan. I yelled out in frustration. "This is ridiculous!" I yelled pacing my room. Ludo was watching me from the bed. "I hate him." I told my dog. He cocked his head and whined a little. "I should hate him. Why don't I hate him?" I said and sat on the edge of the bed. "Answer me that and I might be able to get some sleep tonight." He whined again and licked my face. "Thanks." I smiled and kissed his nose. His tail wagged and he rolled onto his back so I could rub his stomach. "I'll never be able to hate him. He's Tristan."

It was still early in the day. I spent numerous hours thinking about Tristan, the things he had said, the things that he knew. After I had thought long and hard enough to give me a migraine I went outside and cleaned the pasture before taking the horses for a ride. After that it was still too early to go to bed. I gave Ludo a bath and while he dried I paced my room, thinking of ways to make it homier. I hadn't thought about it before but now, all of a sudden, I felt like I needed to put pictures on the wall or paint it a fun color. I had plenty of pictures of Ludo and the boys that I hadn't done anything with. I went through my stack of pictures and came across some of Meg and me. In that moment I missed her. I missed Mark and Derek, and the group that we used to be so many years ago. Then I thought of my knights', the never ending thought it the back of my mind. The sun was down now. I sighed and pulled back the covers, crawling underneath them. Ludo crawled under the covers with me and rested next to me, a heavy sigh coming from him as rested his head on his pillow. I smiled and kissed him before closing my eyes, trying to fall asleep.


	4. Never Alone

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to the King Arthur movie.**

**A/N: So here is the next chapter. Thank you so much to the few who have reviewed. Hopefully you'll like the next chapter here. Please read and review! I would be greatly appreciated!!! **

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**_Chapter Four: Never Alone_**

I woke up to my phone ringing. It was still dark out. It scared the shit out of me and when I went to reach for it I knocked it off the nightstand and it slid away from me. My only thought was making it shut up and why Carol would be calling me in the middle of the night. I tried getting out of bed, pulling on the covers. Ludo was weighing them down so much that I got stuck and fell out of bed instead. I finally managed to crawl to the phone, whipping it open.

"Hello?" I said groggily.

"Do you know what would be nice?"

"Tristan…?" I said, hearing the male voice.

"You going to answer me?" He asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I said angrily.

"Were you sleeping?"

"I'm going to kill you." I told him.

"We really need to work on your people skills."

I sighed and hung up the phone. I got off of the floor and put the phone back on the nightstand before crawling into bed again. I was nearly asleep when the phone rang again. I ignored the call and turned away from the phone only to have it go off again.

"What?" I asked answering it again.

"I asked you if you knew what would be nice." He stated.

"I don't give a fuck." I told him angrily. "I just want to get some sleep."

"Don't sleep well do you?" He asked.

"When you see your loved ones die in your dreams you don't like shutting your eyes." I told him. There was silence. "I'm kidding." I told him.

"No you're not." He replied.

"What do you want?" I asked slowly, my hand over my eyes.

"Let me come out tomorrow." He told me.

"There's no point." I replied.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to see you."

"Yes you do."

"You just want to use me to get information about your lineage. I'm not an encyclopedia."

"You know that's not true." He told me.

"I don't care if it is or isn't. I just want to be left alone." I replied.

"You're never alone." He said sweetly.

"Don't take that tone with me." I said sharply.

"What tone? Sounding nice?"

"I'm hanging up now." I told him.

"See you tomorrow." He replied.

"Don't you dare. I'll sic Ludo on you."

He laughed. "Some threat that is."

"If I really wanted him to he'd do it." I stated knowing that it was an empty threat.

He laughed again. I couldn't help but feel my heart sore. "Please Paige. Just say yes."

"I'm hanging up now." I smiled and hung up the phone. It didn't ring again and I turned onto my side and shut my eyes. I couldn't help but smile. "You work in mysterious ways." I said looking at the stars outside my window. "I hope you're happy lover." I smiled wider and curled up next to Ludo, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

When I woke up the sun was high and the winter birds were singing outside my window. I smiled and looked at the clock. It was nearly ten. I hadn't slept that long for a very long time. I was shocked and for a moment felt like I was late for something. It lasted only a moment before I relaxed into my pillow. I smiled, feeling refreshed, and hugged Ludo. He gave me a quick lick before pulling away from me and heading to the door. I knew what he wanted. My morning for relaxing in bed was done and I got up, grabbing a hoodie before going downstairs. I smelled the coffee and opened the front door for Ludo. I closed it behind him and went to the kitchen. After making myself a mug full I bundled up and went outside. Ludo was doing his usual inspection of the property before following me to the barn. I fed the boys and mucked the stalls before sitting on a hay bale, enjoying my coffee. Ludo was sitting next to me. I was enjoying the winter air when Ludo's ears perked and he got down from the bale and stood in the barn entrance. I frowned and got down, stepping next to him. Tristan's truck had pulled up to the house. He got out and smiled at me. He was several yards away. He moved to the back door and opened it to have four dogs come tumbling out of it. They all wiggled around him, happy to be free of their confinement. He gave them some kind of command and they all sat at his sides. I couldn't help but smile at the canines. I'd always had a soft spot for animals. I guess I could chalk on a few more points on the pros list for Tristan. I also couldn't overlook the coincidence that with Ludo that would make five dogs. I walked up to him, Ludo glued to my side.

"Hi." He said sweetly, smiling.

"Hi." I smiled back. "Who do we have here?" I asked looking at the dogs.

"The Doberman Pincher is Obi-Wan, and yes, his name came from Star Wars. I call him Obi for short. The wirehaired mix is Ripley, the Black Lab is Samson, the oldest of the bunch, and the little spaniel thing is Macy, the baby. She's the apple of her daddy's eye." He grinned at me.

I grinned back and bent down. He released them and they all came over for a sniff. I stroked them each in turn. Macy crawled up onto my bent knees and licked my face. I laughed and pet her as the others tried to draw my attention to them.

"I can see why she's your favorite." I smiled as I stood up with Macy in my arms. She leaned against me, her tail just a wagging. Her soft fur sliding through my hands.

"She's a sweetie." He smiled at me.

Ludo leaned against me as the other dogs surrounded him. He growled and snapped at Obi. "Hey." I said and moved his head away from the Doberman. "It's okay baby." I said and put Macy down. Tristan called the dogs back over to him. "It's okay." I said and stroked Ludo. Samson walked up to him and smelled him over. Ludo did the same before his tail gave a few thumps on the ground. "I think that's the best you're going to get." I told the black dog.

"Come on Sam." Tristan said calling that dog back to him.

"Should I even bother asking what you're doing here?" I asked him.

"I'm here to get to know you." He replied.

"And what if I don't want to get to know you?" I asked him.

"I'd say we've already taken a step forward." He smiled.

"What makes you say that?" I asked him with a raised brow.

"You haven't yelled at me yet." He grinned.

I gave a short laugh and shook my head. "The day is young." I told him. My attention went to his dogs again. They were good looking and sweet tempered. "What is your last name Tristan?" I asked him, realizing that I didn't know.

"Branas." He replied.

"Okay, Tristan Branas, have a good day." I grinned at him.

"Oh come on…" Tristan said frowning at me. "Just let me stay."

"And your contributions would be…?" I asked.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked.

"Enjoying a cup of coffee before tending to my boys." I told him. He just looked at me with a smile on his face. I thought a moment before sighing. "If you'd like to help out you can." I told him, though the words were slightly forced.

"Who are the 'the boys'?" He asked.

"Horses." I told him.

"I'll pass." He replied.

I was shocked. "Really?" I said crossing my arms. "Than I guess there is no reason for you to stick around."

"How long do you think you'll be?" He asked.

I smiled. "You won't help but you want to stick around? Now why would I agree to that? If you want to stay you have to get your hands dirty." I replied.

"And if it weren't horses I'd say yes but…" He said and trailed off.

"You're afraid of horses?" I grinned at him. I couldn't help but laugh. "Mister I'm an expert in Roman Knights' but am afraid of horses?"

He got a little defensive. "Hey, I am a book kinda guy. I don't need to like huge things that could kill me." He frowned.

"I'm sorry. Calm down." I told him. "Can you use a bow? A sword?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "I've studied books on the subject but haven't done any."

"I'm shocked." I told him. "I assumed that with your lineage and your area of expertise you'd want to be proficient in all their ways."

"I didn't grow up in a village or on a farm. I grew up in the middle of a big city with only a small dog and a lot of fish." He said looking down on himself.

"Don't make it sound like that." I told him, walking up to him. "I didn't mean anything by it." I said and took his fingers in my hand. It was done unconsciously and as soon as his fingers moved around mine I cleared my throat and moved away from him. "I'll tell you what. You can pick my brain for as long as you want on one condition." I told him.

"Anything." He smiled.

"You let me help you overcome your fear of horses." His face drained of color and he just looked at me. After a moment he shook his head. "I promise that nothing will happen to you." I told him. "I know what I'm doing." He still didn't say anything. "Please?" I said and made the best pouty face I could.

He frowned at me before he sighed, "All right."

"Thank you." I smiled. "Come on." I said and walked into the barn. The dogs all went off and started to check out the lay of the land, Ludo among them.

I smiled at him as I walked up to Diesel's stall. He was the nicer of the two bothers and I figured he would be the best to start with. When I looked at Tristan he had a blank expression. I frowned at him and looked back at Diesel. I realized my mistake and thinking that a draft horse would cure him of his fear of horses. I put my hand out toward the horse and he put his nose in my hand and blew. I smiled and stroked his forehead. I took Tristan's hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. I put his hand on top of the stall door and Diesel immediately moved forward to smell him. We were standing close enough to each other that I could feel him tense when the horse moved toward him. I smiled at him and turned his over, palm up. Tristan looked at me and I smiled and put my palm over his. He took a deep breath. I moved my hand under his and flattened his fingers out. Diesel put his nose over Tristan's hand and he smelled it over, licking it briefly before turning back to me. He put his nose against my face and I rubbed it.

"See, not so bad." I smiled at Tristan. He had taken a few steps away. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good." He told me.

I smiled at him. "You did a good job. If you want to wait for me in the house you can. I still need to muck the stalls and that means that I'll be letting them out."

"I'll stay." He told me. I raised a brow and looked at him. "I'll be okay."

"Okay, just stay calm then." I told him. He nodded.

I turned to Diesel's stall and opened the door. He came out and trotted right up to Tristan. I saw him flinch and he froze. I could almost see him shaking from the effort to not move. I opened Mathias's stall and whistled for Diesel. He turned toward me and I walked to the doors leading to the pasture. They nudged me and when I opened the door they smelled the snow before racing out into the field. I smiled and inhaled the fresh air. I turned and smiled at Tristan before grabbing my wheelbarrow and fork and started to muck the stalls. As I worked, Tristan watched and on more than one occasion the horses returned to see what was going on. Tristan's presence was unusual and they were curious. He was a good sport and only spooked Mathias once, leading to only one interference. I forced both horses out of the barn and finished as fast as I could. When I was done I closed the doors and called Ludo to me. Tristan did the same and they followed us into the house. We hung up our coats and Tristan followed me into the kitchen.

"Here…" I said handing him a cup of coffee.

"Thank you." He said grabbing a spoon and adding cream and sugar.

I smiled and watched him. A need rose up inside of me and I had to look away. I made my own cup and sat at the table. I rested my head on my hand and he sat across from me. I smiled at him and he smiled back, his eyes shinning. It was familiar and I looked into my cup.

"Have I earned any brain-picking time?" He asked.

"Very little but go on, tell me what's on your mind." I smiled.

He smiled and looked at his coffee. "Do you wanna have dinner with me?" He asked.

"That came out of no where." I stated, my smile gone.

"Well?" He asked.

"Tristan…" I said standing up. I walked to the sink and looked out the window. I turned back to the table. He was watching me. "Don't ask me things like that." I told him.

"Why not?" He asked standing. "Things have been moving forward. The next step is dinner."

"Things haven't been moving forward because there is nothing to move. We're not together in any way. We're hardly friends." I told him.

"Why do you do that?" He asked. "Why do you always push me away?"

"This is too hard." I told him.

"What is too hard?" He said just under a yell.

"Please…I need you to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere." He told me stepping up to me.

"Please…" I pleaded, tears coming to my eyes. "Please, please, please…" I said looking away from him. "It's just too hard."

"Because of him?" He asked. "Because of Tristan?" I didn't say anything. "He's gone. Don't let him take you too. You've had this all bottled up inside of you for years. Grieving over him. He's not coming back."

"But that's the thing!" I yelled at him, tears running down my cheeks. "He did come back! HE'S YOU!" I yelled and pushed him away from me. I pushed him again. "He's you! Everything you do is like him! I can't escape him because you _are _him! Just when I think I'm letting him go I run right back to him because my mind turns to you!" I yelled and pushed him again. "I want to be with you because you remind me of him. I want you because of him. I _love _you because I loved him. You may be different in many ways but you are still a part of him. His blood runs in your veins. How am I supposed to deal with this? I don't know what to do. All I know is I want your hands on me and I can't. Like I've said before. It isn't fair to you." I finished and wiped the tears from my face. "So…I'm asking you again. Please leave."

"And like I said. I'm not going anywhere." He told me, stepping even closer to me. "Don't I get a say in any of this?"

"No, you don't." I told him.

"Well I'm going to put my say in anyway. You're right. I have Tristan's blood in my veins and I share his name. So why not let me in? I'm not complaining about how fair it would be. I just want to get to know you. I think we'd have a shot here. With your history with my relative. I want you to know me. Not him. I want you to try and look past my physical resemblance to your husband and try and see me for me. I want you to see me, like I see you." He finished.

"And how do you see me?" I asked him.

"Like a woman who I could be with for the rest of my life."

I stared at him. The book worm knew how to talk. I had every intention of retorting in some way but instead I grabbed his head and kissed him. I kissed him passionately as he pulled me against him.

"Bedroom upstairs?" He panted.

"Mm-hm." I said as I kissed him.

He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist, running my fingers through his hair. He made his way up the stairs. He tripped half way up and fell forward. My back hit the stairs but instead of calling out I started to laugh. The sound was almost foreign, it had been so long. Tristan laughed and picked me up again, making it up the rest of the stairs. I kissed him hard as he carried me into the bedroom. He tossed me onto the bed and pulled off his shirt. I unbuttoned my pants and kicked them off. He undid his own and stepped out of them as he crawled onto the bed. I gripped him as he moved on top of me. I kissed him and our tongues gently touched. I looked up at him and ran my hand down his face.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yes. Are you?" He replied.

I smiled at him and nodded. I kissed him deeply and pulled him down on top of me. His body was toned and the feel of his biceps underneath my hands made me tremble. I pushed him off of me, rolling on top of him. I kissed his chest, making my way back up to his lips. I sat up and he did the same pulling me against him, kissing me from my cleavage and up. My breath came in pants as I felt his lips on my skin. He rolled me under him and kissed me as he slid inside of me. I moaned with pleasure as he kissed my neck. I met his lips and kissed him passionately. We fell into rhythm. It was intoxicating. I hadn't been with anyone since Tristan and I had forgotten how much I loved it.

He rolled off of me and we laid there, panting. I looked over at him and couldn't help but smile. He grinned back at me. I laughed and rolled on top of him.

"What, you wanna go again?" He grinned.

"No." I told him. He frowned. "That felt wonderful." I told him. He grinned again. "I just want to look at you." I whispered and ran my fingers through his hair. He smiled and did the same. "Not to ruin the mood." I said and looked at him. His smile faltered. "You don't feel used or anything do you?" I asked him.

"Why would I?" He asked.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Because on some level I was thinking him." I replied hoping that I wouldn't hurt him.

"You'll get over it." He smiled and kissed me. I smiled at him. "Does this mean you're not going to yell at me anymore?" He asked.

"No, I'm sure I'll find something to yell at you for." I grinned and kissed him again.

I rested my head on his chest and soaked in the experience. Things hadn't felt this normal in a long time. I was lonelier than I thought.

"You wanna know what was a little disappointing about this?" Tristan asked.

I frowned at him. "What?" I asked.

"You still have your bra on." He said teasingly.

I smacked him. "I have to hang on to a little bit of decency." I told him.

"So I'm naked and you get to keep articles of clothing on. That doesn't seem very fair." He smirked at me.

I smiled and kissed him again. I was just relaxing into him when there was a loud crash followed by dogs barking and growling. I quickly got out of bed and went downstairs to have a flash of black followed by another and the other dogs were in the den barking. I followed the flashes and found the two culprits in the kitchen hashing it out. Ludo was winning with Obi on the bottom. I rushed forward and grabbed Obi's back legs pulling him away from Ludo. Ludo stayed back and barked as Obi turned on me instead and just as I felt teeth on my arm Tristan yelled and Obi fell back. The dogs stood in each corner of the kitchen growling at each other.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked me, helping me to my feet.

"Yeah, thanks." I said and leaned against him.

I rubbed my arm and Tristan took it in his hand and looked at it. "No marks or anything. I'm sorry about that. I don't know what got into him." He said rubbing my arm.

"It's fine." I told him. "It's Ludo's fault anyway."

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"This is his home and new dogs came in and tried to settle. My guess is that Obi tried to lay on his bed and then there was WWIII going on. Ludo loves his bed. It's my fault that I didn't make sure the dogs were okay." I told him.

"I'm still sorry. I wouldn't have thought that my dog would do that." He replied.

"It's fine." I smiled at him. "Come on Ludo." I said and he came to my side. I walked into the living room and sat down on the leather couch. Ludo crawled up next to me and laid down, his head in my lap. "Good boy. Everything is fine. These dogs are friends. I'm sorry that I didn't do it properly. I got distracted." I whispered to him. He licked my face and started at me with his big brown eyes. "You're a good boy." I said and kissed his nose.

Tristan came into the room, fully dressed. I frowned at him. "I'm not leaving. If that's what you were thinking." He smiled.

"Good." I told him. He grinned at me. "What?" I asked.

"You've come out of your shell. You're becoming you again." He grinned.

"I beginning to feel like me again." I smiled. "Kiss me." I told him.

He bent and kissed me deeply. "I'm going to take the dogs outside." He said and kissed me again.

"I'm going to comfort my boy here and then maybe we could make something to eat." I told him.

"Do you have food?" He grinned.

"I think we can manage." I grinned up at him.

"Okay." He said and kissed me again before going outside.

Ludo followed me upstairs. I put cloths on and laid on the bed, holding Ludo close to me. I smiled and buried my face in his fur. I laid there only a few minutes before going back downstairs. I went into the kitchen and opened up the pantry doors to see a whole lot of nothing. I really didn't have a lot of options. I heard the door open and soon the sound of dog feet were heard on the wooden floors. Ludo was glued to my leg but when the door opened he rushed to the den. I watched him sit on his bed and stare as the others dogs found a spot to lay down. Tristan came into the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to me. I laced my fingers with his and leaned against him.

"This is nice." I told him.

"Forgot what human contact felt like." He grinned down at me.

"That's part of it. But I also just realized that I kinda like you. Maybe that's why you irritate me." I grinned back at him.

He kissed me gently. "Right back at ch'ya."

"So, I have stuff to make spaghetti but other than that I guess I don't have a lot." I told him.

"Don't you eat?" He asked looking in the pantry.

"I eat enough." I frowned at him.

"Spaghetti it is I guess." He asked and went to the freezer to take out some meat.

He filled up the sink with hot water and put the meat into it to speed up the thawing process. I happened to have garlic bread as well and he took it out and put it on the island. I grabbed the sauce from the pantry as well as the noodles. I took a pot and frying pan out in preparation before watching Tristan look through the kitchen. I smiled as he whacked himself in the head from a cupboard he left open. He winked at me before walking around the island to stand in front of me. He put his hands on either side of me and leaned forward. I looked into his eyes and put my hands on his chest. I felt the need to touch him, the need to pull him against me. But I knew that there would be time for that. It was nice having a man back in my life. Even though it happened a little more suddenly than I had thought it would. And the man was a bit different than I had imagined him to be. But in a good way.

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Dinner had been wonderful. Turned out that Tristan was a rather good cook and I hadn't eaten a meal as good as that in a long time. Afterward there was wine and talk before I went upstairs to change into something more comfortable and ended up staying there the rest of the night. The sex was wonderful, whether that was because it had been so long or if he was really that good, I wasn't sure. But it felt right. I was happy. After we were worn out we laid in each others arms and talked some more. It was refreshing. He didn't talk about the past or what I had gone through. It was normal getting-to-know-you conversation that was very nice. He was a wonderful man. No denying that. When we finally fell asleep I dreamt of happy things and for the first time in a long time actually got a good nights sleep.

When I woke up the sun was high, shinning into the room. I grinned and rolled over, expecting to see Tristan. Instead, the bed was empty. I sat up, holding the sheet against me, listening to the house. I didn't hear anything. I laid back, wondering why he wasn't there. Wondering if there was something I had done without meaning to. Then I heard a thump and some quiet yelling. Tristan came limping into the room, a blanket wrapped around his waist. I looked at him but must have given something away.

"What is it?" He asked me.

I grinned at him. "It's nothing. I just thought you had left. Thought I was alone." I replied and looked away from him, slightly embarrassed.

He crawled onto the bed and kissed me. He rested himself next to me and gently ran his fingers through my hair. I kissed him again as I ran my hand down his chest.

"Haven't I told you? You're never alone." He said sweetly and kissed me passionately.

"I'll try and remember that." I grinned at him.

"You do that." He said and grabbed my side.

I laughed and pulled him into me, kissing him deeply. We stayed in bed most of the day. Getting up only to let the dogs out. This was turning out to be one hell of a day.


	5. Changes

**Disclaimer: See chapter one.**

**A/N: Thank you to all who reviewed. I really can't say how much I appreciate it. Here's the next chapter. I'm slowing making my way into the story. I hope you are all enjoying it. Any feedback of any kind would be most appreciated. Thanks again!!**

* * *

_**Chapter Five: Changes**_

Mathias ran through the trees at top speed. The snow kicked up as he ran, wetting my face. I gripped his sides with my knees trying not to bounce myself off of his bare back. I flattened against him as I missed a low hanging branch. The barn was just coming into view. His favorite part of the morning run was only yards away now. He drove himself up the small hill and launched himself off of the top, landing in the shoulder deep snow. Even though he was practically swimming in snow his momentum never slowed and soon he was free and ran the final stretch home. We slowed and trotted around the fence before finally coming to a halt in the entrance of the barn. I slid from his back and walked him into the barn. Mathias's body was steaming in the cool air. I closed the barn doors and grabbed a towel, wanting to get him as dry as I possibly could. Afterward I put a blanket over him and put him back into his stall. I was just puttzing with a few things when I heard the small side door open and Tristan walked in.

"What are you doing in here?" I grinned at him.

"Facing my fear." He said teasingly.

I shook my head at him. Diesel nickered and stuck his head out toward Tristan. He jumped and moved away from the horse. I walked up to him and took his hand, leading him back over to the horse. I lifted his hand and placed it near the horse's nose. Diesel sniffed it over before gently nibbling at his palm as if something were supposed to be there. I held Tristan's hand there even though everything in him was telling him to move away. I smiled at him and put his hand on the horse's forehead. Diesel just stood there, taking in the attention. His favorite place to be stroked was his forehead. I let go of Tristan's hand and was so proud of him when he didn't immediately move his hand away from him.

"See, not so bad." I told him.

"Says you." He said and took a few steps back.

I smiled and stroked Diesel's neck before going toward the door. Tristan followed me back to the house. I took off my layers before going into the den, standing in front of the fireplace. Tristan came in and put his arms around me, warming me up. I leaned into him and smiled.

"I gotta go." He told me.

"I thought you might have to." I replied. "Even though it's only been a day?"

"It's been more than a day. I just haven't been here." He replied.

"Do you want to know what I haven't asked you yet?" I asked him.

"Of course." He smiled.

"Where do you live? Where do you work?" I smiled back at him. "You've been asking me a bunch of questions but I haven't been asking any. Maybe it's because I don't want to know. Knowing makes it all real. Real would mean that you're going to be around a lot. Are you?"

He laughed. "Yes, I plan on being around a lot. Is that okay?" I nodded and kissed him. "As for where I live and work. I work at Granite City University, I teach a history course, and I live in Granite City, in Minnesota."

"Oh, that's a ways away." I said letting him go. I sat in my armchair and looked at him.

"It takes a day to drive there. Only a couple hours, if that, to fly. It's not so bad." He told me.

"Where does everyone think you are?" I asked him. "And how did you get your dogs?"

"I drove home, picked them up, and basically came back here. And I've been keeping in touch with work and everyone I need to." He said reassuring me.

"You do what you have to." I told him. For a long moment he just looked at me.

"You're pulling away." He said with a faint smile. "I can hear it in your voice."

"No I'm not." I replied.

"Yes you are." He said and turned away from me, walking upstairs.

I didn't go after him. The past twenty-four hours had been surreal. I had a man in my bed and had sex for the first time in years. I got up this morning and did everything I usually did. Only Tristan had been here and it had felt like he had been here the whole time. I loved the way I felt. I loved the way he made me feel, having him here. But part of me still couldn't believe it. At any moment he could be gone, and not just in the drive away kind. I was terrified of being hurt again. I wouldn't be able to take it and having him here opened up the doors that could lead to pain. I didn't want to shut down. I didn't want him to leave. I didn't want a lot of things. I was still sitting there when he came down with his bag of things. He called his dogs and went outside. I heard his truck start. I looked at the door but still didn't move. I was just going to let him go until I heard the engine rev and my heart skipped a beat, a rock falling in my stomach, telling me that I was making a mistake. I leapt out of the chair and ran to the door jerking it open. I ran out the door, ready to run after him, only to find him leaning against the truck. I was surprised and slipped on the ice that layered the porch sending myself down the steps. I laughed and Tristan put his hands out to me. I grabbed his hands and he pulled me to my feet. I didn't have shoes on and the snow immediately started to penetrate my socks. He pulled me against him, telling me to step up. I stepped onto his feet. I started to shake from the cold.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked me.

"Running after you." I said and laughed.

"How's that working for you?" He grinned.

"It would've worked better if you weren't waiting for me." I smiled.

He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed me deeply. I put my arms around his neck and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. He put his arm behind my knees and scooped me up into his arms. I held tight to him as he carried me back into the house. He put me down just inside the door.

"Are you sure you want to go?" I smiled seductively at him.

He just looked at me before laughing. He kissed me passionately. "I have to go." He said and kissed me again.

"Yeah, you should go." I said and kissed him again.

"Now I'm going to go."

"Mm-hm." I said between kisses.

The dogs started to bark in the car and he turned and looked at them. "I'll call you." He said and kissed me one last time before walking down the steps. He turned and looked at me, walking backward. He was halfway to the truck when his foot caught on the snow and he fell backward. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I guess it was my turn for an embarrassing moment." He said blushing before getting into the truck. He honked the horn as he drove away, and then was out of site.

* * *

I decided that it was cruel punishment to give me a man and then take him away. It was easy to get used to having Tristan there and now that he wasn't anymore I already felt like something was missing. Ludo was happy that it was just the two of us again but I was a little less happy. I already missed having my cup of coffee made and ready for me. Someone to talk to. I realized that I actual missed being in a social scene. The entire day I thought about it. Thought about everything that I had missed. Everything that I had cut myself off from. I went about my nightly chores and Tristan still hadn't called yet. I went to bed, making sure that my phone was on and by the bed. I was on my side, looking at the phone, with Ludo's head on my side. I stared at the phone for only a short while before finally falling asleep.

The next morning when I woke up I checked my phone, assuming that he had called and I slept through it. There was no missed call and no messages. I dialed my voicemail just to make sure only for it to tell me that there were none. I got up and went down to the kitchen, half expecting him to be there with a cup of coffee. I realized how attached I was to him, how ridiculous it was. Yet at the same time I had been attached to him for years. In the end it seemed as though I couldn't escape my deceased husband. I didn't want to and yet the pain I went through when I lost him seemed to linger over me. I took a shower, washing away my doubts and fears, ready to go back to my usual routine. Afterward Ludo and I went to the barn and took care of the horses. I mounted Mathias's bare back and had Diesel stand next to his brother. I walked them outside and to the opening of the trail. Ludo was walking with us, running a ways down the trail, his nose to the ground. I moved Mathias faster and Diesel stayed at his brother's side as we enjoyed the morning air.

When I got back to the house I grabbed my phone from the kitchen counter but there were still no messages. I didn't want to worry but I couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't called yet. It took me only a minute to decide to dial his number. I listened to it ring until his voicemail picked up. I left a brief message and hung up. I went into the den and grabbed the book I had been reading. I had only read a few pages when the phone rang. I tripped over myself as I scrambled out of the chair. I grabbed the phone and tried to act as casual as I could.

"Hello?" I asked answering it.

"Hi." Tristan sighed into the phone.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner." He replied.

"What's wrong?" I asked him again.

"Things kinda went to hell while I was gone." He replied.

"In what way?" I asked. There was silence. "Tristan…?" I heard an intercom in the background.

"Listen, I have to go. I'll call you as soon as I can." He said and the phone went dead.

I stood there and thought of what could have gone wrong. What could have happened? I tried to get some sleep but none would come to me. There was a part of me that felt the need to be with him. To support him. It scared me. I wasn't used to going anywhere, having to be with people. Before him I didn't have to worry about anyone other than myself. Having him in my life changed this in so many ways. This was one of those times. I felt like I was letting him down by not being there. I laid in bed thinking about it for hours. Trying to build up the courage to go to him. Just when I thought I had I let fear tell me that he would call if he needed me. A moment later I got out of bed and grabbed my phone, holding down number two.

"Carol? I am so sorry it's late but I need to ask a huge favor of you." I told her. Only a few hours later Carol came through the door. "Thank you so much for coming." I said hugging her. "I wrote out instructions for all three of them. It's really simple. If you have any trouble just call me. I don't know what's going on or even what I'm doing. It's been so long since I've done anything like this." I said taking a deep breath.

"Yes, seeing other people is hard to do." Carol teased.

"You're funny." I smiled sarcastically. "Okay…" I said looking at my bag. "I think I have everything I need."

"Go, take care of your man." Carol told me, pushing me toward the door.

"He's not my man. Just a friend." I corrected.

"You keep telling yourself that." She grinned. "Now go."

"Thank you." I said hugging her again.

I grabbed my bag and got into Carol's car. I drove to the airport. It took me an hour to get there, leaving me just enough time to get through everything before my flight left. It was only a few hours long, though time dragged by as my mind went through the possible scenarios. When I finally landed I rented a car and dialed Tristan, but didn't get an answer. The plane landed in the states capital, leaving me with an additional two hour drive to Granite City. When I drove into town I followed the hospital signs not knowing where else to start. I pulled into the ramps and looked for Tristan's truck. I was on the last row of cars when I saw it on the end. I quickly found a parking spot and went in. I didn't know where he was but knew that he wasn't the one in the hospital. Without a name I was left guessing. I wandered through the halls, moving from floor to floor. I was in the cardiac wing when I saw him as I passed a waiting room. I stopped and looked at him. He looked like he was in pain. He looked hurt and I needed to be there for him.

"Tristan…?" I said walking into the room.

"Paige…" He said standing up, the look of relief on his face was enough for me to know it was worth it.

"Hi." I said rushing to him, putting my arms around him. "You sounded so upset on the phone, I had to come." I explained.

"Paige…" He said again, holding me tightly.

"I'm here, its okay." I told him, gently caressing the back of his head. "Everything's going to be fine."

He buried his face in my neck and I felt his body start to shake. I felt his tears on my skin as he cried into me. I couldn't help but cry with him. I didn't know what it was about but just seeing the weaker side of him made me feel so strongly for him. When he finally stopped I sat him on the couch that he had been on before. I sat next to him, his hands in mine. I ran my hand down his face, wiping the tears that still lingered on his face. I put his forehead against mine, with my arm around his neck. There were footsteps in the room and someone cleared their throat. Tristan and I looked up into the face of a young woman.

"Are you okay?" She asked Tristan. "I came as soon as I heard."

"Margie…" He said standing up.

"How is he?" She asked.

"Not good." He replied. Margie looked from him to me. "Sorry, this is Paige." He said introducing us.

"Hi." I smiled and shook her hand.

"Have you seen him?" She asked Tristan.

"Yeah, he's sleeping. He's at the end of the hall if you want to go see him." He told her. She nodded and left the room.

He put his hand on my back and gently rubbed it. I turned to him, putting my hands on his chest. He smiled but his eyes got wet and he took a deep breath. I kissed him gently and ran my fingers through his hair.

"Is it your dad?" I asked, hoping I was right. He nodded. "I'm sorry." I told him as tears filled my eyes.

"My mom died two years ago. He's never been the same. He has Congestive Heart Failure and took a turn for the worse and was hospitalized right before I got back." He explained. "He's crashed twice but he's still holding on. They're doing everything they can but we all know that he…" He said and couldn't go on.

"It's okay." I told him. "I'm here for you. I don't need to know why. I just need you to know that I'm here for you. For whatever you need."

He smiled and kissed me deeply. "Thank you." He said putting our foreheads together. "Thank you."

I sat with him the rest of the night. I stayed awake, giving him time to sleep. He was lying next to me with his head in my lap. I gently ran my fingers repeatedly through his hair. He was exhausted and it took me ages to finally get him to lie down. Margie had come back and the look she gave me told me that she wasn't family. She was a friend or something but I wasn't comfortable asking her which. She watched me as I comforted him. She seemed uneasy and it was making me uneasy. The sun had come up and was shining through the blinds of the waiting room. I was tired but I couldn't sleep. I had to stay strong for Tristan. He was falling apart and I had to be there for him. I ran my fingers though my hair and shifted. Without meaning to I woke him up. He gripped my leg and looked up at me.

"Hey baby." I said and ran my hand down his cheek. He just looked at me. "Try and get some more sleep." I told him softly.

He shook his head, "No." He sat up and rubbed his face. "What time is it?"

"Just past ten." I told him. "How are you feeling?" I asked him, my hand on his knee. He shook his head and looked at me, smiling the best he could. "It's okay. You don't have to be strong right now. Let me take care of that." I told him with my hand on his cheek.

"Why are you here?" Margie asked me.

"She's here because I want her here." Tristan told her.

"This really is not the time to be doing this." I told her. "Is it at all possible for you to keep your thoughts on me to yourself, just for now?" I asked.

"Why should I? I don't know you. How long has Tristan known you? You don't know Bill. You know nothing about what's going on. You didn't know Joyce, and I'm assuming that you don't know Brian or Clare. So I'm sorry if I don't think you should be here." She told me coldly.

"Margie!" Tristan yelled at her. "Don't talk to her like that."

"You're right. I don't know Bill, or Joyce, or Brian, or Clare. That doesn't matter right now. What matters is Tristan losing his father. So back the hell off." I told her.

"Paige, you don't have to defend yourself to her." Tristan told me.

"It's fine." I told him. "May I ask, Margie, why you are here?" I asked.

"I'm Tristan's girlfriend." She replied. "Or I was until a few weeks ago. He went to your book opening and the next thing I know I'm on the curb."

"Not my problem." I replied.

"It is your problem since it's your fault." She told me.

"Let's not do this now." I told her. "Please…"

"I don't like you." Margie said pointing a finger at me.

"My God." I said, getting frustrated. "Do you honestly think this is helping? Because it's not."

"I am here for him. You shouldn't be." She told me.

"Stop…" Tristan said sharply. "Just stop." He said looking at Margie. "I want Paige here. I _need _her here. If you want to stay you need to shut the hell up. If you want to help go call my brother and sister. They haven't answered the phone when I've tried calling." She nodded and left the room. "I'm sorry." He said turning toward me.

"It's fine." I told him. "You just need to try and relax."

"I don't think that's possible." He told me sitting down.

"You should go see your dad." I told him.

"I don't know if I can." He told me honestly.

"You can."

"Will you come with me?" He asked.

"Of course." I replied.

He nodded and took my hand. I moved against him as we walked down the hall. You could hear the beeping from the monitors. I held tight to his hand as we walked into the room. Tristan walked to the chair that was next to his dad and sat down. His dad appeared to be sleeping but when he took his fathers hand his eyes opened slightly and he looked at his son. Tristan smiled and gently kissed his dad's hand. His father smiled at him. I stayed behind Tristan but Bill looked at me.

"Dad, this is Paige." Tristan smiled. "Paige, this is my dad, Bill."

"Hi Bill." I smiled.

He put his free hand out to me. I went around the bed and took it. He squeezed my hand as hard as he could and tried to talk. He had an oxygen mask on but he pulled it from his face.

"Dad…" Tristan said trying to stop him.

"It's okay." Bill said weakly. He looked over at me. "Take care of him. I know you can. You're the one he needs." He told me. "Can you promise me?"

"I promise." I told him, tears welling up in my eyes. "You rest. I'll make sure he's okay."

Bill looked back at Tristan and grasped his hand with both of his own. Tristan covered his father's hand and smiled. Moments later the monitors started to sound and nurses flooded into the room followed by a doctor. I moved to Tristan and pulled him away from the bed. We watched as they worked on his father, only, there was nothing they could do. His illness had taken him and he was now at peace. The doctor called the time of death and just as he said it I felt Tristan's body shake. I had to put my arm across him as he fell to his knees. I knelt next to him. I pulled him against me. He turned his face into my chest and sobbed. I started to shake and tears started to stream down my face by just listening to him break down. The machines were shut off and the nurses and doctor left the room. He held tight to me, his grip almost painful. There was little I could do for him. I didn't know what I should do for him. I always dealt with my grief alone. He needed me to be there. It seemed like death followed me wherever I went.

* * *

A week later I was standing in a funeral home with Tristan, thanking everyone for coming to the service. Things had been hard all week. Tristan was distant but wanted me with him. I learned a lot about him during the week. He told me stories of his past and about his parents. About how he had fallen out with his siblings and how uncomfortable it was going to be at the wake and service. I did everything I could. Making sure everything was ready, making decisions where Tristan just seemed to shut down. Margie had also been around all week, causing annoyance wherever she went. I did my best to stay calm and just be there for Tristan. I took care of the dogs and called the school. They gave him a temporary leave of absence till he was ready to go back. He was very well liked. It was easy to find help and support for him during this time. And now that it was over I wasn't sure what to do. Carol was getting restless at the house and I needed to get home soon.

"Tristan…?" I asked as I walked through his home.

He had a nice house on the outskirts of town. It was relatively large and he had a well kept yard and neighbors who adored him. He had a good life here. I found him in his office, staring into space.

"Honey…?" I said walking in.

He looked up at me. "Sorry."

"How are you doing?" I asked walking over to him.

He put his arm around my waist. "I don't know." He replied. "My dad was the person I was closest to. I did everything with him. He was the only one who knew about you." He told me. "The other Tristan came from my dad's side and we used to sit for hours talking about the past and you." He grinned. "I'm glad he saw you before he died. I think that might be one of the reasons he let go. His life was fulfilled." He said and looked up at me.

"He was lucky." I replied.

He smiled and nodded. I kissed him and held him against me. "You should probably get home." He told me.

"That came out of no where." I replied.

"I've been thinking about it and it's probably time. The funeral is done and there is no reason for you to stay."

"That's not true." I told him. "My reason is you. I'm not sure if you're ready to be alone."

"Thank you for being here. For coming even though I didn't ask you to." He said and kissed me hand. "It means a lot. It really does. I love you." He said looking up at me.

I looked at him and ran my fingers through his hair. "I love you too." I said and kissed him deeply. "I'm going to stay here as long as you need me to."

"I have a different thought." He told me. "Can I go home with you?"

"Of course you can. You know that." I replied.

"I just can't be here right now. He lived with me and I see him everywhere." He said hugging me tight.

"You can stay with me for as long as you'd like." I told him.

"Wanna leave tonight?" He asked.

"How about tomorrow morning? We have to get the dogs packed too."

He agreed and started to pack almost immediately. He was anxious and I couldn't blame him. The dogs knew that something was wrong and they were at his heels constantly. I tried to comfort them where I could but it was no use. I helped Tristan pack as best I could, grabbing things that he asked me to. By nightfall he had bags sitting by the door. He packed most of the dogs' things except what they might need in the morning. He packed up their beds, allowing them to sleep with us tonight. We laid in bed, sandwiched between the dogs, unable to sleep. I rolled over and put my arm over Tristan, moving as close to him as I could. He embraced me, kissing me gently. I rested my head on his chest and gently caressed it.

We slept later than we had intended but still managed to get on the road relatively early. It was a long drive and we stopped every few hours to let the dogs out. We even managed to find a dog park so they could run themselves tired before we moved on. We took turns sleeping, switching when one would get to tired. Tristan didn't want to stop and I couldn't blame him. He wanted to get away as fast as he could. It was somewhat of a comfort to know that he thought my home was an okay place to be. I just hoped that he would be okay. He seemed to be okay but I knew he wasn't. Out of experience I knew that there was no way that he could be okay. Just because he was a man doesn't mean that he was immune to grief.

"Home again, home again, jiggidy jig." I said as we parked the truck.

"Thank God." He said letting the dogs out.

We ran into a snag when we got home. I had completely forgot about Carol's car. Tristan offered to drive her to it but I told him that I would. We unloaded his things and I told him to get comfortable while I was gone.

"How is he?" Carol asked on the way.

"Not good." I replied. "I've never seen a man show so much emotion. He cried so hard." I said, tears filling my eyes. I shook my head and rested it on my hand.

"It'll be okay." She told me and gently patted my knee.

"I know." I said wiping my eyes. "It's just hard. It's not fair. But than again nothing ever is."

When we got to her car I gave her as much money as I could and thanked her as many times as she would let me. She gave me a firm hug before we got into our cars. I told her I'd call her in a few days.

* * *

"I'm home." I said when I found Tristan in the bedroom.

"Hey." He smiled.

"You settling in all right?" I asked him.

"I feel safe here." He told me.

I smiled at him. "I love you." I said and kissed him.

"And that's why." He smiled back. "Wanna go to bed?"

"Bed sounds good." I replied.

The dogs were set up downstairs, I made Ludo watch over the new comers, leaving Tristan and me alone. We got into bed and I faced him, pulling him against me. I kissed him and caressed his face. Things were definitely going to change, but it was a good change. I was afraid of change but I could see this going somewhere that was okay to me.


	6. Coming Out

**Disclaimer: See Chapter One**

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. Do to the small amount of reviews I'm starting to think that people don't like this story as much as In Times Past and that sucks so any review you could give me would be awesome. Some of the beginning stuff is kinda a filler until I get more into it but still any review would be most welcome. Thanks!!**

* * *

_**Chapter Six: Coming Out**_

Time had passed and winter was over, allowing the green of spring to come through. The weather was warm and it was nice to be able to leave the door and windows open. Tristan had been with me ever since the funeral. He talked to only a few people in Minnesota. He'd cut himself off pretty well. I had to place part of the blame on myself. I didn't try and get him to go home. I let him do what he wanted, and at the moment all he wanted was to have some peace and quiet. I loved his company and he seemed happy. That's all I cared about.

I had just gotten back from my morning run with the horses'. I started to muck the stalls and get everything cleaned up. The doors were open, letting the sun and the bird songs come through. I was in my own little world, thinking about things when my shoulder was touched. I jumped and whipped around, practically hitting Tristan with the pitchfork.

"Jeez, you scared the shit out of me." I told him.

"Sorry." He said kissing me.

"Are you hear to continue your horse therapy?" I asked him.

"No, I think I'm all horsed out this week." He replied.

"Well you better get over it." I told him. "I booked us at the Dude Ranch just an hour away. We are going to spend a whole on horseback." I told him.

"That should be interesting." He replied.

"It'll be fun." I said reassuringly.

"You have to admit that I'm getting better."

I smiled at him. "Yes you are. You're able to halter them, and lead them around all by yourself. I am very proud of you." I smiled and kissed him.

"It gives me something to focus on. Dad always wanted me to learn. Part of it's for him." He said with the tone that told me he was sad.

I took his hands in mine and kissed him deeply. "Wanna take a shower?" I grinned at him. He grinned back and we ran back to the house.

* * *

When our things were packed and loaded into the truck we sat on the steps to wait for Carol to arrive. She was going to be watching the animals while we were gone.

"Paige!" She said rushing to me when she jumped out of the car. "It's so good to see you!" She said hugging me tight. "Tristan…nice to see you here as well." She grinned.

"Thanks for helping me track her down." He grinned back. "Haven't gotten a chance to tell you yet."

"We'll see if he feels the same way after this week." I smiled at her.

"You'll both be fine." She laughed. "Ludo!" She said greeting her favorite kid.

She knew her way around the house so I wasn't worried. Tristan talked her through his dogs and any funny quirks that they had. All four of them had been shelter dogs and all had something different that was just a little off about them. Obi was very neurotic, Samson had separation anxiety, Ripley had to sleep with you at night, and Macy just had a lot of attitude.

When they finally came back out I was more than ready to get on the road. The sun was warming but the air was still cool. Spring was defiantly here. I thanked Carol again and got into the truck. Tristan got in and pulled out of the driveway. It was quiet, too quiet. I looked at Tristan and he seemed on edge. I took his hand in mine. I smiled at him, hoping to reassure him just a little bit.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"No." He said sharply.

"Not to sound paranoid or anything but, are you mad at me?"

He looked at me and squeezed my hand. "No, it's not you. I'm just…I miss my dad. He would have loved this. Not only that but I'm nervous about this whole trip thing. My mind keeps going through the things that could go wrong. I've heard horror stories about horses and what can happen. What about that Reeves guy?" He said clearly nervous.

I smiled at him. "You are going to be fine. I'm going to be there with you. Every step of the way." I said and kissed his hand. He smiled and squeezed my hand again.

When we got there the first thing we saw was the large pasture full of horses. We passed riders on the driveway and my excitement grew. This was the most normal thing I'd done in years. I was starting to live my life again. It felt good. Tristan parked the truck and I could barely contain myself. I got out and smelled in the ranches scent. The horses scent. We were soon greeted by Pete and Nana Johnson, the owners of the ranch. Both were getting up in years but both were still full of life.

"Nana!" I grinned as she stepped toward me with outstretched arms.

"Paige!" She said embracing me.

"So, you two know each other?" Tristan asked.

"I bought the boys from her." I smiled at him.

"She sure did." Nana grinned. "It's been nearly four years since I've talked to her. I was shocked when she called me about this trip. Nearly fell out of my chair, didn't I Pete?" She said turning to her husband of forty years.

"Yup!" He yelled in response before turning back to the farm hand.

"Pete! Get your ass over here and greet our guests!" She yelled at him.

"All right, all right, I'm comin'." He said walking over to us.

"Well my, my, my. If it's not Paige Winters." Pete grinned at her.

"Hi Pete." I grinned and hugged him.

"For being a hermit you sure have some nice friends." Tristan grinned, nudging me.

I laughed, "Shut up."

"She didn't just buy the horses off of us. She had to watch them for hours, had to touch nearly every part of their bodies, sit on their backs, run them until their lungs nearly gave out…she put them through the ringer." Pete told him.

"She was just making sure they were good horses." Nana said in her defense. "She knew what she was doing."

"You bet I did." I told them. "I kept in touch with them for a few months after I bought the boys to let them know how they were doing. I've sent a few pictures in the mail but that's about it."

"She's not good at keeping in touch but she defiantly leaves an impression." Nana smiled.

"I know that to be true." Tristan said putting his arm around me.

"Come on; let's get you two settled in." She smiled and led us to one of the cabins.

It was a wonderful little cabin. The cabin was, of course, decorated with a western theme. The walls were covered in artwork and the feeling alone was splendid to me. I looked around before looking at Tristan. I grinned and put my arms around his neck. I kissed him and ran my fingers through his hair.

"Thank you for doing this." I told him softly.

"I'd do anything for you." He replied, kissing me.

We went back outside and everyone seemed to be at ease. Time seemed to stop and there was just friends and family surrounding us. Nana and Pete called us to the grill and we had a beer and talked while their son Charlie cooked BBQ ribs. The smell was magnificent. The day was still young but it was a never ending feast. Once our bellies were full and conversation seemed to die down I asked if I could go see the stables. Nana of course agreed, so we took our men with to see the horses. They knew that Tristan had never ridden before and had already picked a horse out for him.

"This is Dishpan." Nana told Tristan. "He's an old Quarter horse. He's nineteen years old. Still in good shape and he's quiet. He'll do whatever you ask of him with no complaint and he's big enough to make sure you feel safe. He'll make a good horse."

"Not worried at all." Tristan said even though he clearly was. I grinned at him. He winked at me.

I looked through the stalls and a white Arabian stallion caught my eye. "Hey beautiful." I said putting my arms on top of the stall door. The horse charged at the door. I didn't move. He was trying to intimidate. "I'm not afraid of you." I told him. I found the bag of oats and took a handful of them, going back to the horse. "Here, it's good stuff. You'll like it." I told him. He could smell them but kept his distance, trying to stretch his head out far enough to take the treat. "You'll have to come closer than that." I told him. He wouldn't come forward so I pulled my hand back and just looked at him.

"He's a feisty one." Nana told me.

"So I've noticed. Mean or just disturbed?" I asked.

"He's just new. He's only been here a few days. Not used to things yet."

"Has he been ridden?" I asked her. She shook her head. "It's about time he was." I smiled and opened the stall slipping in.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea." Nana told me.

"There's no harm in trying." I told her. The horse moved as far away from me as he could go. "Does he have a name?" I asked.

"His name is Ghost." She replied. "It was a little girl's horse but she grew tired of him. His name suits him though."

"It's perfect. I'm sure you're as fast as you look." I told the horse.

I squatted and looked at the horse. He just looked back at me, unsure of what to do. I put my hand out and he slowly came forward, smelling my hand with the oats in it. He took a taste before moving away from me. I slowly stood and took a step toward him. He didn't startle so I took another step. I held my hand out and he could see the oats in my hand. For a moment it looked like he was going to try and get away from me, instead he ate the oats from my hand, allowing me to rub his forehead.

"Well I'll be." Nana smiled.

"He's not bad at all." I told her. "You're just a nervous boy. With very little training you'd be ready." I told the horse.

"Well go ahead and take him this weekend. I trust you." She told me.

"Than let's take him for a test drive." I grinned at her.

Nana got me what I needed as I moved my hands over his body. He was in excellent condition and I was excited to get on top of his back. I put the bridle on and he stood perfectly still. He didn't get nervous again until I was tightening the saddle around his waste. It lasted only a minute and I continued to strap it onto him. When it was secure I walked him from his stall and through the barn. I let him get used to it again. It was obvious that he hadn't been ridden in a while. Once he seemed comfortable I mounted him easily. He shifted slightly, walking sideways, unsure of what to do. I straightened him out and he tensed. I loosened up on him, waiting to see what he was going to do. I had plenty of eyes on me but in my mind there was only me and the horse. He was testing me and at first I wasn't sure what he wanted of me. He was trying to stay in control but I pushed him to listen to me, forcing him to listen. He was stubborn though. He reared and tried to drop me off his back but failed. I kicked him and he lurched forward before stopping again. I worked with him for almost twenty minutes before I could walk him around easily. He was a good horse, no doubt about it. I moved the horse through the crowds of people, seeing how he would react. He was rusty but he knew what he was doing. I moved away from the crowd to a large field and let him free. He had incredible speed and for a moment I didn't think he was going to stop when I pulled back on the reigns. When he finally stopped I patted his neck and walked him in a circle before I let him let out some steam again and ran back to the ranch.

"How was he?" Nana asked.

"He'll do." I grinned at her.

"You just love horses. Why don't you make it your profession?" She asked me.

I grinned at her. "I'm an author, remember?"

"Your book was wonderful." Nana told me.

I laughed at her. "Let's go eat." I grinned taking Tristan's hand.

I leaned against him and he put his arm around me. I led the horse back to his stall and took his tack off before joining the group. It was a never ending party. Everyone was drinking and laughing as conversation moved through the group. As the sun went down a huge hoedown was going to be starting in the massive barn. They had a small band set up and benches and tables to sit at. Tristan wanted to go and dance but I wanted to stay in the room. I wasn't to hip on the big social scene but Tristan pointed out the fact that I had to go out at some point and this would be good for me. I drank another beer and agreed to give it a try. I held tight to his hand as we walked into the barn. The music was playing and everyone was dancing and having fun. I moved to a corner of the barn and sat down watching everyone. Tristan grabbed us drinks and found me, only he wasn't alone.

"What are you doing hiding back here?" Nana asked me.

"Just watching." I told her.

"I don't think so." She told me. "Charlie! Get your butt over here!" She hollered to her son.

"Nana, what are you doing?" I asked her.

"Teach this woman to line dance." Nana told her son.

"No, Nana, I don't think so." I told her sternly.

"Come on Ms. Paige." Charlie grinned and grabbed my hands, pulling me to my feet.

"No, no, no…" I said but it was no use.

He pulled me into the center of the barn, with tons of people around me. I was so uneasy that I thought I might pass out. People were cramming around me and I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't want to learn to line dance. Charlie moved me next to him as the band started an upbeat song and showed me the steps. Knowing that there was no getting out of it I did what Charlie asked of me and slowly I started to get the hang of it. Just as I was starting to get comfortable with it, the men separated from the woman and I was left with all these people I didn't know. We were facing each other and it seemed like there was going to be some kind of show off between the sexes. I, of course, was left in the front no matter how hard I tried to move away from the group. I was just about to make a dash for it when someone shoved me from behind and I turned to come face to face with Margie.

"You've got to be shitting me." I said angrily. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I met a guy shortly after Tristan's dad died. He's very into horses and riding. He's a big supporter of the ranch."

"So you just happened to be here the same weekend as us?" I said frowning at her.

"I suppose so." She said with a malicious grin.

"Oh god…" I said and looked rubbing my forehead. "You're not still jealous of me are you?"

"No. Demetrios Doukas is twice the man Tristan Branas is." She told me.

"That's a laugh." I grinned at her.

"Let's just see how well you dance after your lesson with the leader of the geek squad." She grinned wickedly.

"I hate you." I told her.

The music then picked up and the men did their portion of the dance before the women moved forward. I got a burst of self-confidence and danced the best I could keeping up just fine with everyone. When the music finally slowed I was out of breath and Margie stepped in front of me when I tried to walk away.

"You have a lot to learn." She told me.

"If I remember correctly, I caught you out of step more than me." I said and walked around her.

I found Tristan talking with a few of the men, having fun, smiling. "You'll never guess who's here." I told him.

"Who?" He asked intrigued.

"Margie." I told him.

"What? Why?" He asked, scanning the crowd.

"Apparently, she's dating a Demetrios Doukas." I explained.

"Who?" He asked. I shrugged. "Huh." He said and put his arm around me. "Does she still hate you?"

"With a passion. She saw Charlie teaching me to line dance and named him the leader of the geek squad. Just showing how advanced her mental capacity is. We had a few words that have led to me being moved to the number one slot of her hate list if I wasn't before." I replied. I let out an exasperated yell. "She's turns me into this childish person and I hate that!" I told him.

He laughed. "Don't worry. I love you." He said and kissed me.

"I love you too." I smiled. "Come on, let's dance."

It was late when we returned to the cabin. It was nice to finally lie down. I was beat and Tristan was practically asleep as soon as his head in the pillow. I did my usual evening routine before crawling into bed. Tristan got up and changed as fast as he could before crawling in next to me. I snuggled up against him and before I knew it, the roosters were crowing, waking both of us up.

The first part of our stay was to go through the basic needs of the horses and to practice riding. Tristan was nervous as hell but I convinced Nana to let me borrow one of the smaller barns to teach him myself. I had Tristan take Dishpan from his stall on his own. He put the bridle on and led him to the nearby barn. The old horse was very sweet, wanting to put his head over Tristan's shoulder. He tensed and the horse sensed it, moved away from him a little. I stroked the horse's neck on the other side and watched Tristan. He was concentrating on what he was doing and didn't notice me watching him. We went into the barn and I put the tack down and told him to put it on the horse. He just looked at me with a worried expression. I told him that I'd walk him through it and he eased a little. He put the blanket on his back and put the saddle on. I laughed, seeing it was on backward, and corrected him. He took it really well. I walked him through where to strap the saddle and how tight it should be. It didn't take long and I had him take it on and off a few times before moving on. Once his saddle was in place I had Tristan walk him around some more. His comfort level was rising and it was nice to see. Before I was going to let Tristan ride him, I mounted him to see if he had any hidden quirks. I tried a few things to see if he'd react and he didn't. He was a very good horse, a perfect horse for Tristan. I dismounted and told Tristan to get up on top of him. He just looked at me like I was nuts. I reassured him and he pulled himself into the saddle. I asked him if he wanted me to lead him around but to protect his manhood he said 'no'. He moved the horse forward all on his own and walked him around the barn. At first he was very tense and Dishpan wasn't sure what to do but he loosened up and together and man and horse rode around the barn. At first he just walked and then moved to a trot and finally Tristan really let loose and ran him around the barn. I stood in the middle and watched with pride that my man finally faced his fear and conquered it. When he finally stopped the horse and dismounted, he ran up to me, picking me up, and spinning me around. I laughed and kissed him deeply. I congratulated him on his success and he mounted Dishpan again and put his arm down to me. I grinned and climbed into the saddle behind him. He moved the horse from the barn and we walked back to the stables. He was all proud and he grinned at he passed some of the others. After we put Dishpan back into his stall be joined the brunch gathering that was starting to form.

* * *

The first few days were over. We had done some basic trail riding and sat through all the informational speeches that we needed to hear before we were to leave the following day. We were going to go spend three whole days in the mountains. It was going to be a blast. We were going to see the waterfalls and the meadows. Experience the beauty of Montana from the back of a horse.

"Are you all packed?" Tristan asked.

"Yes." I said stopping to think. "I'm pretty sure I'm set."

"I'm actually looking forward to this." He said pulling me into his arms.

"That is very good to hear." I smiled and kissed him.

There was a knock on the door and Charlie came in. "Hey guys, whenever you're ready we're going to load up the horses."

"Thanks." I smiled at him.

"Charlie!" I heard a guest say behind him.

"Gotta go." He grinned and left.

I shook my head. "He's a nice guy." Tristan told me.

"Very." I said and kissed him. "Guess we better go."

We grabbed our bags and walked to the stables, a group of people standing outside. We were instructed as to how to tie our bags to our horse and were sent to do it. We all walked our horses from the stables and lined up against the fence. We were given another little speech. It must have been the hundredth speech they gave us, which is clearly an over exaggeration, but it seemed that they talked more than we actually did anything. I was getting impatient and Tristan seemed happy to be held up. We were finally told to mount up and I quickly pulled myself onto Ghost's back. Tristan moved Dishpan next to me.

"You better stay with me throughout this whole thing." He told me quietly.

I smiled at him. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

"Good." He smiled and kissed me.

We moved out and into the trees. We started out on the main trail that we'd been on before. Only there was a trail less traveled leading off of the main one and we took it, leading us upward into the foothills of the mountains. We started out pretty slow, everyone just enjoying the warm air. The sounds of the country were comforting and I could have been happier than making my way through the trees. It brought back a lot of memories, some good, some painful.

"Having fun?" Tristan asked me.

I was distracted and he grabbed my hand. "Oh, sorry." I smiled at him.

"You really like this don't you?" He smiled.

"I really do." I replied.

He laughed. "I guess it's a good thing that I've concurred my fear than."

"You have no idea how proud I am of you." I smiled and leaned over, kissing him gently.

"All right everyone! We're going to pick up the pace!" Charlie yelled from the head of the group.

"You ready for this?" I grinned at Tristan.

"Stay close to me." He told me.

I laughed and the all the horses started to trot, following Charlie's lead. From there the trail led into a field and Charlie pushed his horse into a run, in turn the other horses followed suit and we all raced across the field. I had to admit that I held back so I could keep pace with Dishpan. When the field ended we slowed and trotted through the trees. When the trees became dense we walked through. We mingled as we walked, the horses enjoying the sun and the quiet.

"So, why did you two decide to do this?" A young man asked. He was attractive but in a somewhat familiar way. His hair was buzzed and he had a goatee. He was dressed in typical cowboy attire. He face had a somewhat enigmatic look to it.

"I was afraid of horses. This is my therapy." Tristan replied.

The man laughed. "Yeah, this would do it. Are you still afraid?" He asked sounding curious.

"Nope, I'm finding it very relaxing." Tristan replied. I grinned at him proudly.

"We'll see, won't we?" He said as he rode off ahead of us.

"Hm." Tristan said watching him.

"Odd guy." I told him.

"Yeah."

We walked on in silence. I had brought my camera and took some shots of the woods and of Tristan. He grabbed it and took some of me which made me laugh. We talked with some of the other riders, pictures being taken here and there. I was having a blast until someone rode up on the other side of me.

"Having fun are we?"

I looked and glared. "Margie…" I said looking at her.

"Why aren't you with your new boyfriend?" Tristan asked.

"He's busy talking about horses. Not really my thing." She replied.

"Can't imagine why." I told her. "So is Demetrios getting tired of you already?" I grinned.

"Of course not. It's them that I get tired of." She grinned and rode off.

"Wow." I said watching her ride off.

"Yeah." Tristan sighed. "Can't really remember what I saw in her."

"She's different."

"I moved on to much better things." He grinned and kissed me. There was a flash as Tristan took a picture. He looked at the picture he just took and showed it to me. "Perfect. There is nothing better than that."

I smiled and kissed him deeply. "I love you so much." I whispered.

"I love you too." He whispered back and kissed me passionately.

We continued for most of the day. It was late evening when heard the sound of rushing water. The trees thinned and we could see the river with a waterfall just down the way. It was beautiful. I looked at Tristan and he grinned at me.

"Now that site right there makes it worth it." He said and smiled at me. I laughed and sighed, looking at the waterfall.

"We'll be camping here tonight!" Charlie yelled to the group. "There's plenty of room for everyone. If you need help pitching your tent just let me know."

"Finally." Tristan said dismounting. "It's fun but I'm not used to sitting in same position for so long."

I laughed and dismounted. I went around to him, putting my arms around his neck. He kissed me and lifted me into his arms. I laughed and kissed him again. We had onlookers so he set me down. First we took the tack off of the horses and tied them to a tree near the site we chose. Then we got to work on pitching the tent. With Tristan it took all of ten minutes and we crawled inside and laid down. I was on my stomach, staring at him. He gently ran his fingers up and down my back.

"Stop looking at me like that." I smiled at him.

"Why?" He grinned.

"It makes me want to do naughty things." I smirked and rolled onto my side.

"I like naughty." He said and kissed me deeply, moving on top of me.

"We can't." I told him as his hand found its way up my shirt. "We'll be heard."

"I don't care." He grinned and kissed me again.

I laughed as I unbuttoned his shirt. He laughed and kissed me as he unbuttoned my pants. We were just starting to get into it when someone knocked on the tent door. We froze and looked at each other.

"Yes?" I asked.

"We're going to work on making a fire. Wanna help?" Charlie's voice came through.

"Yeah, we'll be right out." I replied as cheery as I could.

We heard him walk away before busting with laughter. Tristan helped me up and we buttoned everything back up before exiting the tent. We laughed as we joined Charlie and, unfortunately, Margie and her boy toy weren't far off. I looked at them and as she nibbled on his ear, Demetrios seemed to be watching Tristan. I ignored it and turned my attention back to the group. We all gathered wood and got water from the river for us to boil for drinking. I had to admit that when the sun finally set I was happy to be able to sit for a while. I was used to being busy but I was surprised as to how warn out I was.

"I'm so tired." I told Tristan as we sat by the fire. I was leaning against him.

He kissed the top of my head. "Me too." He replied and held me tightly against him. "But I'm enjoying the quality time." He said kissing my neck. I laughed and looked up at him, kissing him deeply, my hand on the back of his head. "Let's go to bed." He whispered in my ear.

"Thanks for the wonderful night. We're going to get to bed." I said standing up.

"Yeah, see you all in the morning." Tristan said doing the same.

He took my hand and we walked to the tent. I checked on the horses before crawling inside. I changed into something more comfortable and crawled into the sleeping bag next to Tristan. He pulled me against him and I rested my head on his arm. He gently caressed my face, looking into my eyes. I put my hand on his face and kissed him, keeping my eyes on his. We kissed and he gently moved on top of me. I didn't fight him, no longer caring if we were heard or not.

* * *

When I woke up I was alone. I only had Tristan's shirt on and I smiled thinking of him, smelling him on the shirt. He smelled so good. I shut my eyes again, smiling. Then I heard commotion from outside.

"What are you doing?" I heard Tristan say.

"Come on. You know you want me back." Margie's voice came next.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked.

I frowned and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans. When I went outside I saw Margie taking off through the trees. Charlie was running to his horse, as well as Demetrios. Tristan quickly pulled himself into Dishpan's saddle and took off after Margie.

"Tristan!" I yelled. "Charlie?" I yelled at him.

"She's the worst rider here." Charlie told me.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching everyone?" Demetrios stated to Charlie and took off after the others, Charlie following him.

"Shit." I said pulling myself onto Ghost's bare back.

I ran him past all the confused faces, following the psycho bitch and the three men. I swerved through the trees, following the yells. They were following the river, moving up a large hill, and soon the trees gave way to reveal a huge meadow. It would have been a magnificent view if it weren't for the yelling and the girl trying to kill herself. I pushed Ghost as hard as I could, his speed made it easy to catch up. I caught up to Charlie first. He looked at me and pointed for me to go forward. Ghost moved ahead easily and I moved next to Demetrios next. He grinned at me and laughed as he slowed down. I frowned at him before moving forward riding next to Tristan. He looked at me and frowned. He was clearly having trouble. He'd never ridden like this before. His inexperience made me nervous. Margie had veered to the edge of the water, the waterfalls noise slightly deafening.

"Stop!" I yelled to Tristan. "I'll get her! You just stop!"

He nodded and slowed his horse. I moved forward and caught up with Margie. I grabbed the reins and pulled back as I stopped Ghost. Margie's horse stopped and for a moment we just looked at each other.

"What were you thinking?" I asked her.

She got all teary eyed as she looked at me. "I'm sorry." She said sadly. "I couldn't get him to stop once I got him going. I'm not very good at the riding." She said very shaky.

I sighed and took her arm. "Are you okay?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah…"

"Good." I said and sighed again. "Come on…" I said and we turned back.

Tristan was waiting for us, letting the horse drink from the river. Charlie was walked toward us. At first I didn't see Demetrios but then he came into view running toward the river. I didn't know what he was doing until it was done. He had slammed his horse into Dishpan. He jumped and reared, slipping into the water. My eyes widened as they struggled to gain ground. Tristan held onto the saddle horn trying to stay atop of the horse. I ran Ghost forward and followed Tristan and Dishpan as the current started to take them downriver.

"Tristan!" I screamed as I dismounted. "Tristan!" I screamed again and started to wade into the water.

"Paige! No!" Charlie said stopping me.

"No! Tristan!" I said as Charlie pulled me out of the water.

"Tristan!" Margie yelled.

Charlie let go of me and I ran down the bank. The sound of the waterfall got louder and a sudden, terrible realization happened. I felt my eyes grow wider and for a moment my feet wouldn't work.

"Oh my God." I said and ran forward again. "Tristan!" I yelled as I followed them.

Ahead there were large boulders that were protruding out of the water. I ran forward and jumped from boulder to boulder until I was out as far as I could go. The horse and Tristan were coming fast down the river. I put my arm out and reached as far as I could. Tristan saw me and put his arm out. I grabbed his hand as he went past and for a moment I thought I had a grip on him, but his foot was caught in the stirrup and his arm slipped away from me. I grabbed for him again but only got his fingertips which slipped out almost instantaneously. I screamed his name knowing that there was no getting to him before it happened. I moved from the rocks and continued to run after him as the current took him further and further away from me. Charlie had mounted and ran down the river. I ran as fast as I could and I watched and listened as both horse and man yelled out before disappearing over the falls. I screamed his name again and fell to my knees, unable to move. I froze and stared at the water. Time had stopped and my breathing was all that I could hear.

"Paige!" Margie said kneeling next to me. "PAIGE!" She said giving me a shake.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Not again. This can't be happening again. Not again, not again, not again." I said repeating it over and over again.

"Paige come on!" Margie said and forced me to my feet.

We ran down the hill to the base of the falls. There was nothing but water. I couldn't see Tristan or Dishpan anywhere. I ran my fingers through my hair, about to break down when the horse's cry sounded from just down the river. Everyone ran toward him. Charlie and a few of the other men waded into the water to help the horse from the river. Not only the horse but Tristan was still caught in the stirrup. For a moment my heart soared, but my breath stopped instantaneously when I saw them carrying Tristan from the water. One led the horse away from the water as the others gathered around Tristan. They had laid him on the ground. He wasn't moving. I ran as fast as I could and pushed everyone from my way. I knelt next to him, taking his hand in mine.

"Tristan…?" I said as I ran my hand down his face.

"He's not breathing." Charlie told me.

I started to shake and looked down at him. "Okay…" I said and moved closer to his head.

I lifted his chin and gave him two breaths, trying not to cry at the same time. Without needing to ask, Charlie started to do chest compressions. I gave him two more breaths, hardly able to stay in control. He still wasn't breathing after the compressions. I gave him two more breaths and just as Charlie was about to start compressions again, water started to pour out of his mouth. He came around quickly, rolling so the water would clear from his mouth. I quickly pulled him into my arms, sobbing into him. I had thought I had lost another man I loved. I would not have been able to stand it if he had died. His arms wrapped around me as I held him against me. My crying had stopped but I continued to rock him back and forth. I looked around me and spotted Demetrios Doukas leaning against a tree, an evil grin on his face. He winked at me before walking away. I wanted to hurt him. Wanted to run after him and ring his neck. But now wasn't the time to make a scene. I couldn't leave Tristan's side even if I wanted to. Charlie helped me get him back to the tent. I told him to boil some water. I zipped the tent doors shut and quickly got him out of his clothes. Putting drier, warmer clothes on him. He was conscious but was weak. He was shivering terribly, making me nervous. I tried comforting him but I couldn't comfort myself so I wasn't helping him at all. I opened the tent and took the water from Charlie, putting rags that we had brought for the horses into it. I rang it out as best I could, letting it cool slightly before putting it across his forehead. I took another and placed it on his chest. I took his hand in mine and kissed it gently.

"You're going to be okay." I told him, tears springing to my eyes. He nodded. "You scared the shit out of me." I told him, all of a sudden angry. "Don't you ever do anything like that to me again or I swear I'll kill you myself." I told him angrily. He started to laugh. "Don't laugh at me." I told him but was calmer.

"I love you." He grinned.

I couldn't help but laugh. "I love you too." I said and kissed him deeply. "Your lips are cold." I told him.

"Then warm them up." He whispered and put his fingers through my hair, bringing my face to his, kissing me passionately.

I grinned and kissed him repeatedly. "Let's warm the rest of you first."

I replaced both rags before covering him with both sleeping bags and lying next to him, as close as I could. I wiped his forehead with the rag as he watched me. The moment grew serious again and I looked at him.

"I have lost two men in my life and I haven't lived for that long." I told him. He just looked at me. "I have loved two men and have lost both of them." Tears started to well in my eyes. "I thought I had lost you. I thought that I had lost the third man I have ever loved. I would've died myself. I wouldn't be able to stand it if you had died too." I finished, staring at him in his eyes. "I love you." I whispered. "So you gotta be okay." I frowned and looked away from him.

"Hey…" He said lifting my chin with his fingers. "I'm not going anywhere. Ever." He said and gently caressed my face.

I smiled and kissed him deeply. "You need to rest." I told him sweetly.

"Stay with me." He whispered.

"I'll never leave you." I whispered back and kissed his forehead.

Only a few minutes later he fell asleep. I made sure that he was asleep before I slipped from the tent. Everyone immediately looked at me. I suddenly felt self-conscious in my jeans and Tristan's shirt.

"How is he?" Margie asked.

I glared at her with everything in me. Knowing that it wasn't the time I took a deep breath and looked at everyone. "I think he's going to be all right. But we need to get him to the hospital. Especially if his body temperature doesn't normalize." I said and looked at Charlie.

"We'll have to wait until tomorrow. We won't make it back before nightfall, leaving us with no light." He told me concerned.

I nodded. "At first light then." I said and went back into the tent.

I sat and stared at him. He was sleeping soundly but I kept a close watch on him. I kept a close watch on his respirations and kept changing the rags to help his body temperature rise. He was still cold. He'd tremble periodically, making my breath catch and my heart skip a beat. Hypothermia was nothing to play around with and the river was freezing. He needed a doctor.

I didn't sleep a wink that night. I kept the fire going outside and while everyone else slept I checked on Dishpan to make sure he was okay. He too was a little cooler than he should have been. He was draped with blankets and I rubbed him down, hoping on friction to warm him up a little. I led him around the camp to keep him moving before tying him back up. I didn't want to leave Tristan for long and the just by being away for a few short minutes a sense of fear already started to creep inside of me. I went back in and quickly zipped the door closed. By keeping steaming water inside the tent it was considerably warmer than the cool outside air. I went to his side and laid next to him, running my fingers through his hair. I kissed his forehead and rested my head next to his, listening to his breathing. I managed to fall asleep, with his hand in mine.

* * *

When I woke up Tristan was still asleep. I sat up and ran my fingers down his face. He didn't move. A pit fell in my stomach and I gently shook him. He stayed still. He still felt cool and I felt myself start to panic.

"Tristan…Tristan wake up." I said shaking him again. "Tristan?" He furrowed his brows and turned his head toward me. "Tristan, open your eyes." I told him. He seemed to try but they only fluttered. "Hang on baby. Hang on." I said and quickly left the tent. "Charlie!" I called. He quickly came out of his tent. "He's worse. We need to go." I told him.

"Pack up! We're heading out!" He yelled loudly.

"How are we going to move him?" I asked Charlie.

He frowned. We ending up finding two logs and tied a tent to them, making a homemade stretcher out of it. We attached it to Charlie's horse and slowly moved Tristan onto it, keeping him covered. We used the rope that we had brought to tie him securely to it. Within a half hour everyone was set and we headed out. It was slow moving with the makeshift stretcher not made very well. When we finally made it back to the Ranch, Nana quickly called an ambulance. They showed up nearly twenty minutes later and quickly loaded Tristan into the back and drove off. I was going to follow but first I had a confrontation to make.

"Where is he?" I asked Margie.

"Who?" She asked.

"Demetrios." I told her.

She looked around. "I don't know." She replied.

I spotted him apart from the group, just watching. I rushed toward him and slapped him as hard as I could across his face. "I saw you." I told him. "I saw what you did."

He laughed. "Than prove it."

I slapped him again. "If I ever see you again you'll be sorry."

"I'm not afraid of a little girl." He grinned evilly.

"You don't know who you're dealing with." I replied and ran to Tristan's truck.

When I got to the hospital he was still getting examined. I had to wait nearly two hours before anyone told me anything. The doctor told me that he was hypothermic and had a respiratory infection. He was on IV fluids and had a heating blanket on to help warm him. I asked if I could see him and they led me to his room. I went in and stopped short of the bed. He was sleeping and there were monitors hooked up to him, a constant beeping filling the room. I had to choke back tears as I walked up to his bed. I pulled a chair next to him and took his hand in mine, kissing it gently. I held his hand to my lips and closed my eyes, a tear escaping. I felt a finger brush it away and I looked down at him to see him smiling at me. I smiled and kissed his hand again. I rested it on my neck as I caressed his face.

"You're going to be okay." I told him.

"All thanks to you." He replied.

"Nah." I smiled and kissed him. "You're stronger than you think. For a teacher anyway."

He laughed but frowned. "My body is so sore." He told me.

"That's okay. Let's you know you're still alive." I replied.

He was going to be staying a few days, leaving lots of time to do nothing. To pass the time I turned on the TV to find all infomercials on. The only exception was the news that I left on as I fingered through a magazine.

"…_found wandering town are four men and a woman who seemed to be dressed in old fashioned clothes. Apparently they appeared out of no where in the middle of traffic." _The anchor was saying. It sparked my interest and I looked up at the TV. Tristan was sleeping. _"This video was taken just before they disappeared by one of the witnesses. Witnesses say that there was a flash of white light before their appearance and…" _I stopped listening after that. They played the video and I froze as I looked at the strange people that were on the screen. I stood and rushed to the TV, staring at the figures.

"Oh my god." I said.

"What is it?" Tristan asked me.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" I said putting my shoes back on.

"Paige…" Tristan said.

"I have to go." I told him. "I'm sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can." I said and kissed him deeply.

"What is it?" He asked again.

"Look at the TV." I said as I grabbed my bag.

I looked at him as we watched the report continue and a realization crossed his face. "Are they who I think they are?" He asked.

"Yes." I told him. "I have to go. I love you." I said and kissed him again before rushing out of the room.

**Sorry it's so frickin long but I hope the ending makes up for it little. I hope to get the next chapter up soon! PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	7. Reuniting

**Disclaimer: Please refer to previous chapters for the disclaimer.**

**A/N: The next chapter is here! Yay! I hope you like it. I hope the story will be more appealing after this. The fluffy parts were before but now we'll get into a little more danger. I hope it works. Any reviews you can give to me would be most appreciated! Thank you!!**

* * *

_**Chapter Eight: Reuniting**_

I didn't know how it had happened but the people on the TV screen were those of people I loved and have been longing to see for five long years. I ran through the city, recognizing where they had disappeared, I raced through the streets and alleys. I didn't know where they would be heading. This world would be very different than what they were used to. I was starting to get desperate when I saw a familiar face down an alley. I walked down the alley, staring at the figure. As I got closer there was no question as to who it was.

"Bors!" I yelled. He turned and saw me. His face lit up and he ran towards me. I did the same, running at top speed. I threw my arms around his neck, the breath being knocked out of me from the force of our impact. "Bors! Oh my god! I am so happy to see you!" I said and kissed him hard on the lips. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked him. "Gawain!" I said and kissed his lips, hugging him tightly. "Galahad! Arthur! Guinn!" I said hugging them all. "I am so damn happy to see you!" I said wiping the tears of happiness from my cheeks. "Oh my god!" I said hugging Bors again. His arms felt so good around me.

"I've missed you so much." Bors told me, taking my head in his hands.

"I've missed you too." I replied rubbing his arms. He kissed my forehead and pulled me against him. "How did this happen?" I asked him.

"Merlin." Guinn smiled at me.

"How though?" I asked her.

"It's been what, five years?" She asked. I nodded. "He's been working on it ever since you left. As soon as you were gone we all demanded that he find a way. He finally did."

I hugged her again. "It's so nice to have my best friend back." I told her.

"Mine too." She grinned.

"But, did he do a spell, was it pure luck, what?" I asked.

"Spell." Arthur said pulling a piece of paper from his armor. "All we have to do is say it again and it should take us back." He told me. "It was far beyond his power but he managed to study and learn from his people and found a way."

"I don't care how he did it. I just can't believe you're here." I smiled and hugged him. "You have no idea how happy this makes me."

"I think we can." Gawain said and pulled me against him again. "You've all I've been able to think about." He smiled and kissed my forehead. "And now you're right in front of me."

"I've missed you." I told him. "Vanora? The kids?" I asked Bors.

"Here…" He said handing me a piece of folded parchment.

It was a letter from Vanora. It was short and sweet. She wished me well, telling me that nothing had been the same since I had gone but that things were good for her and her family. It also told me to be sure to slap the back of Bors's head. I laughed and folded up the letter before doing just that.

"Hey, what was that for?" He asked.

"I don't know. Vanora told me to do it." I grinned.

He sighed. "I wouldn't let her come with." He told me.

"That's okay. Just seeing all of you again is amazing." I said and basked in their glow.

I just stood there and looked at them. I didn't know what else to do. I took Bors's hand and Gawain's hand in mine and just looked at them. I laughed and put my arms around them again. I was just too stunned to see them I wasn't thinking straight.

"Stop smiling." Bors told me.

I tried but failed miserably. "I can't." I laughed. He pulled me into a hug again. "I'm just so happy. I've thought about this moment ever since I left. I've missed you all so much." I said looking at them.

"Do you want to come home?" Gawain asked me.

"Ye–" I started but stopped. I looked at them and sighed. "If you asked me six months ago I would have said yes in an instant. But today things have started to change for me." I told him. "For five years I lived a secluded life, staring at the pictures I have of all of you. Wishing that I hadn't left. Wishing that I knew a way to get back to you." I said looking at them. "But then a man came into my life and I've found love again. After five years of holding on to Tristan's memory, I've found a man that makes me feel alive again. More alive than I had since I left all of you. I'd love to go back to Britain, but I can't abandon him." I said and my mind drifted to Tristan. "He's lying in a hospital bed as we speak, waiting for me." I finished as I crossed my arms.

"Do you love him?" Gawain asked.

I looked at him and smiled, putting my hand on his cheek. "I love a lot of people." I said and kissed his cheek. "Come on, we've got to get you all some less conspicuous clothes." I told them.

I linked my arm with Gawain's and we took the alleyways till we were close to a clothing store. I stepped out of the alley to see if the coast was clear. We had passed a few television vans and I didn't want them to spot us. I didn't know what their fascination was with my friends but I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention. When I thought the coast was as clear, or as clear as it was going to get, I ushered them into the store and to the back by the dressing rooms. I grabbed the nearest worker and told her that I needed something for the five of them and quickly. She agreed and looked at each one before going and starting to pull stuff off of the racks. I sat in a chair and watched as she took each one into a room with several articles of clothing, closing them in. I waited and soon Guinn came out in jeans and a nice black blouse. She looked magnificent. I flattered her before she changed again. She had gone through three outfits before anyone else emerged. Arthur came out next in dark jeans and a black button-up. He looked damn sexy. Guinn thought so too as she started to fondle her husband. I laughed and then Galahad came out with a similar look. I grinned at him.

"You look so sexy." I said walking up to him. He blushed as I laughed. I knocked on Bors's door. "You coming out any time soon?" I asked him.

"How do I look?" He asked opening the door, leaning against the frame in a sexy way.

I stared at him with his jeans and flannel shirt. It took me only a moment for me to burst out laughing. He looked ridiculous in that shirt. "Take it off." I laughed and grabbed a dark green t-shirt from a hanger. He took his shirt off, revealing his nice body. I tossed him the shirt and he pulled it on. It was relatively tight, more so in the arms than anything. "Much better." I smiled and ran my hand down his chest.

"Thanks." He winked and kissed my cheek.

I laughed and moved to Gawain's door. "How's it going honey?" I asked him.

"I don't think these clothes are for me." He replied.

"What's wrong with them?" I asked.

There was silence before I could see his feet as he came closer to the door. "I can't get them on." He replied.

"What do you mean? How hard could it be?" I asked him.

"Paige…" He said annoyed.

"Let me in." I replied.

"I don't think that's a good idea." He replied.

"Open the door before I crawl under it." I told him sternly.

The lock clicked and I opened the door enough for me to squeeze in. He was only in his underwear and I couldn't help but ogle him for a moment before snapping out of it. He was fighting with the jeans, trying to put them on backward. I laughed and turned them. He got embarrassed immediately but I just smiled at him. While he pulled them up I looked at the shirts that the girl had picked out for him. I couldn't decide which one would suit him better. He looked good in his old clothes. I took a red long sleeved shirt off of its hanger and told him to put it on. It was figure fitting and it showed off his body nicely.

"Perfect." I grinned at him.

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking at himself in the mirror.

"Positive." I said with my hands on his chest, gently pecking his lips.

"Why do you do that?" He asked me.

"Sorry?" I said, my smile faltering.

"You say you're in love again but you kiss me, and you kissed Bors."

"It's just a friend thing. I know you well enough to feel that I can without it having to mean anything. Same goes for Bors. Does it bother you?" I asked him.

"No." He replied. "Yes. I have feelings for you and I know that I can't have you."

"Gawain…" I said looking at him.

"I could have been there for you after Tristan died. I could have been what you needed if you only had let me in. I have waited a long time to see you again, hoping that my waiting was not in vain." He told me.

"I'm sorry Gawain." I replied. "But once you meet him you'll know why I can't be with you." I told him. "But for the record. If my guy didn't exist, you wouldn't have waited in vain."

"That's something I guess." He said looking at his feet.

"I love you. You know that right? I love you so much. Just not in that way." I told him, hoping he understood.

"Seeing you again is all that matters." He said pecking my lips before opening the door.

A sudden guilt filled me. A guilt that was clouding my mind. I pushed it away and went out to see the new looks on all of my friends. They all looked relatively the same. They looked normal, which was the look I was going for. They all had jeans on and a figure fitting shirt of some kind. I loved it. They looked great. I picked out a few other things for all of them before going to the check out. I was waiting for them to scan everything when I noticed a nice leather jacket in the men's section. I walked over to it, feeling the fabric.

"Bors, come here." I called. He came over and I helped him put it on. We walked to a nearby mirror to see how it looked. "What do you think?" I asked him.

"What do you think?" He retorted.

"I think it's great." I smiled at him.

"It's too much though. You've already done so much." He replied.

"That's what friends are for." I said and took the jacket off of him, adding it to the pile.

* * *

We were walking through the halls of the hospital. I had been away from Tristan too long and now I had brought another shock for him to absorb. I stopped outside of his room and turned toward them.

"Just give me a few minutes before you come in. Don't act too shocked and please don't stare or ask a bunch of questions. Okay, I'm going to go talk to him and then I'll call you in." I told them. "Okay?" I asked them.

"Why are you being so secretive?" Bors asked me.

"You'll see." I said and kissed his cheek before going into the room.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tristan yelled at me when I walked in.

"I'm sorry." I said kissing him.

"Don't butter up to me. I've been lying here for hours worrying about what happened to you. Are you okay? What happened? Did you find them?" He said quickly. I laughed and kissed him again. This time he kissed me passionately. "So?" He asked.

"So, I'm sorry I was gone so long. I found them and had to get them different clothes in hopes of keeping them hidden from the crazy camera people." I replied. "And I'm fine. Better than fine." I said and kissed him again.

"You seem happier than when you left." He stated.

"I am happier. My friends have time traveled to see me and my boyfriend is going to be fine. I couldn't ask for more. So, do you want to meet them?" I asked him. "Are you ready to see the men that your uncle called brothers?"

He just looked at me. "They're here?" He asked. I nodded. He took a deep breath and nodded.

"Bors!" I called and they slowly filed into the room.

I smiled at them and looked at Tristan. He looked like a little boy who just got his first puppy. I looked at the others as they looked at Tristan's descendant. There was a feeling of tension in the room as they all looked at each other.

"Tristan…" Arthur said airily.

"This is Tristan." I told them, sitting on the bed next to him. "But not the same Tristan. This is Tristan's great nephew. He got his name from our Tristan and his looks, obviously, but he is a different Tristan. Does that make any sense?" They all nodded. "Tristan…this is Bors, Gawain, Galahad, Guinevere, and Arthur." I said making the introductions. Still no one said anything. "Somebody please say something." I said trying to break the silence.

"He's the spitin' image of your husband." Bors stated.

"I know he is." I replied.

"How did you find him?" Guinn asked.

"I didn't. He found me." I smiled at her. "I wrote a book about you. All of you. I wrote about Rome and what happened there. I wrote about my experiences and my love for the land and its people. I wrote it all down and it got published." I explained. "When the book was released, Tristan was there. He freaked me out the first time I met him. I even fainted. His physical appearance is almost identical to our Tristan. And I've fallen for him. Just like I fell for my husband."

"Doesn't it get confusing?" Gawain asked.

I gave a short laugh. "Only when I try and explain it." I replied. Everyone was quite for a long time. "How are you all doing?"

"It's just…he looks so much like him." Galahad told me.

"I know. You get used to it." I smiled at him. "This Tristan is actually a history major whose main focus is the Sarmatian Knights' of Legend. After he learned that he was related to my husband he sought me out, knowing that I was technically his aunt. It was weird at first but I got over it. Now I'm just me and he's just Tristan."

"Wow." Bors said staring at him.

"Mm-hm." Gawain agreed.

"_Tristan, how do you do that?"_

"_I aim for the middle."_

The memory washed over me and I smiled, looking at Gawain. He saw and smiled back. I looked down at Tristan and grinned wider. Things seemed right, like this was the way it was supposed to be. I found chairs for all of them and we sat down. First it was quiet. No one was saying anything and I couldn't think of anything else to say. I was just about to make one last effort when the silence was broken.

"How are you feeling Tristan?" The doctor asked as he came into the room.

"Feelin' fine." He replied.

"You gained some company I see." The doctor smiled.

"Yes I have." He smiled back. "When can I go home?" He asked.

"Tomorrow morning." He replied. Tristan groaned. "Just one more night of observation and I'll be happy."

"Like I have a choice?" Tristan grinned.

"You really don't." The doctor smiled. "I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

Due to the lack of conversation and the ever growing unease in the room I took my group of friends into the nearest waiting room. I didn't have anywhere else to put them and I wanted them nearby. I told them that I had to be with Tristan right now but that I'd check on them. I got them some food from the cafeteria and magazines and such to occupy their time. It seemed useless but I didn't have any better ideas.

"You didn't say much." I stated as I sat with Tristan.

"What did you want me to say?" He replied.

"I don't know. I thought you'd have a few questions that you'd like to ask." I told him.

"I think there is still time for that. Once I'm out of the hospital." He said gently rubbing my leg.

"Okay." I said and kissed his head. I gently ran my fingers through his hair. "Are you okay with them being here?"

"I don't know. You seem pretty buddy-buddy with all those men." He said looking up at me with a smile.

"Oh yeah." I told him with a raised brow. "I could have them all in a blink of an eye."

"Trying to make me jealous?" He smiled at me.

"I don't know. Is it working?" I smiled back.

"Maybe a little." He replied and kissed me, his hand gently gripping my chin.

I made him lay back against the pillows, telling him to rest. He protested, as I expected, but I laid with him, making it easier for him to sleep. As soon as I heard his steady breathing I quietly left the room, joining the others in the waiting room.

"There she is." Bors smiled at me.

"Hey." I said sitting next to him, running my fingers through my hair.

"You look tired." He told me.

"I am." I said resting my head on his shoulder. "I've been awake for nearly two days, I nearly lost another man in my life…" I explained. "Then you all come back into it. So much has happened in such a short amount of time."

"Sleep." Bors said putting his arm around me.

"I can't. If Tristan wakes up I need to go be with him." I replied with my eyes closed.

"You don't need to be strong around us. You know that." He replied.

I looked up at him and smiled. "You're right, I don't." I said and tears slowly filled my eyes.

"Paige…" Bors said pulling me against him.

"I don't know where this is coming from." I cried into him. "I just…" I said and stopped.

"Shhh, it's okay." Bors said gently caressing the back of my head.

I calmed down and leaned away from him. "Sorry." I smiled.

"Don't apologize." He told me. "Feel better?"

I looked at him and laughed. "Yeah, actually I do. I've just been carrying around too much pent up emotion. I finally come out of my shell. Finally tried to live in the world again and this is what I get. Tristan comes into my life and then he almost dies and then you show up and…" I said before stopping myself. "Just a lot to take on when I've been alone for so long."

"It's okay. We're all together now." He said and kissed my forehead.

I nodded and let him pull me into his arms. I laid across him, his arm moved around me and I rested my head on top of it. I meant to shut my eyes for only a moment but sleep took hold of me and when I woke up Tristan was kneeling in front of me.

"Morning." He smiled and kissed me gently.

"Who let me sleep?" I frowned at him, closing my eyes again.

He laughed and kissed me again. "You needed to sleep." He replied running his fingers through my hair. I opened my eyes and looked at him. I put my hand on his cheek and just looked at him, tracing the lines of his face. He kissed me repeatedly before smiling at me. "Are you ready to go home?"

I grinned at him, "Yes."

I sat up and he pulled me up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him, so happy to feel him against me.

"Am I interrupting?" Gawain asked from the doorway.

"No." I smiled at him. "Let's go home."

* * *

It was weird driving home. It took us a few hours. Guinn and I sat in the front with Galahad and Gawain in the small backseat of the truck. Arthur and Bors agreed to sit in the box of the truck as long as they promised to stay low and not move around. None had ever been in a car before and didn't know the dos and don'ts. I drove, not wanting Tristan to and by the time we finally got there I was so tired it was ridiculous. It was a quiet ride and there was an uncomfortable silence that lingered in the cab. After what Gawain had told me I was afraid Tristan might sense something. There was no threat but at the same time I didn't want there to be any issues. This clash of two worlds may prove to be a little more difficult that I originally thought.

"Finally…" I said as I dropped my bags. "Ludo!" I grinned as my dog slid into me. "How's my boy?" I asked him as I stroked him. "Hi Carol. Thank you so much for doing this." I said and hugged her. "I didn't mean to be gone so long."

"As long as everyone's okay. And who are these people?" She asked looking at my friends.

"Oh, these are friends of mine that came to support me." I explained.

"Names?" She asked.

I didn't want to tell her. The fewer people who knew who they were the better. I looked at her and sighed. "Gawain, Galahad, Guinevere, Arthur, and Bors." I said introducing them.

She didn't seem to make the connection right away but when she did she looked at me, smiling, but with a clear expression that she wanted to talk. I shook my head and went upstairs. Ludo followed me and I went to my room and sat on the bed, Ludo jumped up next to me and laid half his body in my lap. I kissed the top of his head and hugged him tight.

"Hey…" Tristan said leaning against the door frame.

"Hey." I replied. His dogs were all surrounding him. "Everyone's happy to have us home." I smiled at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You've been so worried about me. No one's been worrying about you."

I smiled. "Bors has been worrying. He does that a lot." I replied. "But I'm okay. I am just so tired. And I smell like something rank."

He laughed. "You do not. You smell like you and I love you for it." He said kneeling in front of me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why what?" He said, still smiling at me.

"Why do you love me?"

He smiled and gently caressed my face. "I love you for everything you are. I love the way you look at me. The way you feel against me. The way you kiss my hands and look at me like I'm all you can see. I love the way you smile, the way you handle yourself. I love that you love me in a way that no one has ever loved me before. Your hair is fantastic and your eyes lure me in every time I look into them. They are mesmerizing and beautiful. I love you because you are like no one I have ever known. You are my everything and everything that I've ever wanted. You make me happy." He said and smiled. "Do I need to go on?"

I smiled at him. "No, you can stop."

"Why do you love me?" He grinned.

I laughed at him, running my hand down his face. "I love you for all the reasons that you love me. I love you because you showed up and made me live again. You helped me come out of my shell that I had put myself in after I lost my husband. You saved me, Tristan. You saved me from being alone. And I thank you for that. I can't say that it hasn't been hard. It's been really hard. But when you're with me I feel safe and I feel like everything is going to be okay, even when it's not. I love you for your persistence and your kind heart. I love you for so many reasons I can't explain. It's just a feeling that draws me to you in every way. I just love you." I grinned and shrugged. "And I always will." I kissed him ardently. "I'm just happy that you're okay." I said with my forehead against his. "I love you." I whispered and kissed him again. "I left everyone downstairs. I better get them set up." I said standing up.

"I'll take care of them." He told me. "You go jump in the shower." He said kissing me again. "If it doesn't take too long I'll come join you."

"Okay." I smiled and pulled my shirt off. Tristan stopped and looked at me. "Go." I grinned at him.

He left, leaving me alone. I couldn't help but feel like I could finally relax a little. It had been a long few days and I needed a little alone time. I got into the shower and as the water came down I realized something that I'd pushed aside till now. Demetrios Doukas tried to kill Tristan. I finished quickly and put some comfortable clothes on. When I went downstairs Carol and Tristan were talking while the others stood in the den. I stopped in the doorway and watched as they stared at the drawings I had of them. I walked up to Bors and took his hand in mine.

"Hi." He smiled and pulled me against him. I smiled up at him. "I forgot you had these."

"Me too." Guinn smiled. She had her fingers on the one of Lancelot. She put her other hand on the one of Tristan. "They are deeply missed."

I nodded and rested my head on Bors. "We have a problem." I told them. Tristan and Carol came into the room. I looked at Tristan and he frowned at me. "Tristan's accident wasn't an accident. He was nearly killed because a man named Demetrios Doukas tried to kill him. He intentionally ran his horse into Tristan's, knocking them into the river. After Tristan was revived I saw him leaning against a tree, grinning at me. He winked at me and left. He wasn't with us when we returned to the ranch. I don't know who he is but there was something about him. Something that just felt off to me. I don't know what it is but we need to find out everything we can on him. You might come in handy if we need to track him down without him knowing." I told my knights'. "I don't know what he has against Tristan but we need to figure it out. I'm not willing to lose anyone else in my life, meaning I am going to track this guy down and put him in an early grave if I have to. Can I count on you to help me?" I asked them.

"We're here for you no matter what." Bors said immediately.

"Just tell us what you need." Gawain added.

"I'll kill him for you." Arthur smiled.

"I'll help." Guinn added from her husband's knee.

I grinned at them. "Gal?"

"I'm with you." He said nodding.

"Carol?" I asked turning to my friend.

"I'm going to regret this." She said and looked at me. "Of course." I smiled at her in thanks.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Tristan asked.

"No." I told him flatly. "I refuse to lose you. I'm exhausted. Let's get some sleep." I told them.

I set up all the couches and the two spare rooms that I had. One of the couches pulled out, making it so that there was plenty of room for everyone. Carol decided to head home but promised that she'd do her best to find some information on Demetrios. I thanked her again and paid her for watching my animals before walking her out of the house. After she drove off I turned to my barn and walked toward it, my dog at my side. I opened the barn doors and the familiar smell filled my nostrils. I love that smell. I took a deep breath before flipping on the lights to see both horses looking at me. I smiled and walked up to Mathias. I stroked his neck as he nudged me gently. I told Ludo to go say 'hi' to Diesel. He put his front paws on the stall door and licked Diesel's nose when he came to smell the dog. I laughed and switched with him, giving Diesel a little attention before returning to the house. I made sure everyone was settled in before going upstairs to bed. Tristan was already in bed waiting for me. I crawled in next to him and he pulled me against him. I kissed him gently before resting my head on his chest. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He gently put his fingers through my hair putting me to sleep, that and the rise and fall of his chest. I had been afraid for him and I never wanted to be afraid for him again. I was going to hunt down the bastard who tried to kill him and put him in the ground.


	8. Demetrios Doukas

**Disclaimer: Same as all the others**

* * *

_**Chapter Nine: Demetrios Doukas**_

He pushed open the doors to the Victorian Mansion. He strolled down the halls and slipped into the study. He sat in the armchair across from an elderly man. He looked at him and put one leg over the other, grinning.

"Well…?" The old man asked.

"He is Tristan's descendant." He told him.

"You're sure?" He asked.

"Positive." Demetrios grinned.

"He's one of the few left." The old man stated.

"He's the man we've been looking for."

"Have you seen the news?"

"No." Demetrios frowned.

"There have been some new…developments." The old man stated.

* * *

Demetrios came from a long line of barbarian men. His grandfather and himself were the only ones left in their family. The Doukas line went as far back as 300 AD and before. Only then they were known as the Saxons. His distant relatives were the same Saxons that the knights' had fought and destroyed. Cedric had been a great grandfather of his. Today they were just as powerful in the world as they were then. They got their fortune from their dealings with the lowlifes of the world as well as betting and taking from everyone around them. They were the mob in a way, only their subtly couldn't be matched. No one knew their lineage or the powerful forces that stood behind them.

"If we destroy them here they will disappear from their own time, leaving our line open to rule. They have fought us for centuries. Now we have the opportunity to fight back." Demetrios told his grandfather.

"Yes…" Was all he said.

"All I have to do is find that woman. She'll know where they are."

"They are already with her."

"How do you know?" Demetrios asked.

"They love her. She will be the first they look for. That and if she saw the news she will have already sought them out. I assure you. They are already with her." He replied.

"I'll leave right away." Demetrios told him.

"Do not underestimate her." His grandfather told him cautiously.

"She's one woman. How much trouble could she be?" He said as he left the room.

He moved to his wing of the mansion and opened up his cabinet revealing his collection of firearms and knives. He brought out his bag and loaded it with the things that he thought he would need. Packing light, assured that this could be taken care of quickly with little power involved. Once everything was packed he grabbed his passport and called the line to his private jet. He then left the mansion to fulfill, what he hoped to be, his final task. A task that would bring his family back from the brink of extinction and back into power. A power that the world would be better off with.

* * *

I paced the room as I tried to figure out how to find information about our mystery man. I had forced everyone out of the bedroom so I could think without any distractions. The only one I allowed in was Ludo. I closed my eyes as I paced, trying to think of what made him familiar to me. The more I thought about him the more I thought there was something there. Something familiar that was eating away at my brain. It was on the tip of my tongue.

"This is ridiculous." I told my dog as I continued my internet search. "How can there be nothing about this damn man?" I said and ran my fingers through my hair. "That's it." I said getting off the bed. I practically ran down the stairs telling the others that I was going out for a while before running from the house, slamming the door behind me.

"Paige!" Tristan called after me.

"I'll be back!" I called back to him, walking backward momentarily.

"Just wait a second!" He said catching up with me, grabbing my arm.

"I need to clear my head." I told him.

"We don't have to figure it out all in one day." He replied.

"Maybe not but we have nothing." I told him. "We've been looking for hours and we have nothing to go on. It's like he doesn't even exist."

"We'll figure it out."

"Before or after he succeeds at killing you?" I asked him sadly.

"Honey, you know that that's not going to happen." He said putting his hand on my face.

"Yeah, well, I'm not convinced yet." I told him and sighed. "I just need to clear my head and the best way of doing that is going for a ride."

"At least let me come with then." He stated.

"I don't think so. The last time you were on a horse you ended up in a river and going over a waterfall. Just…go help Carol and the others." I replied.

"Paige, don't worry about me. I'm just worried about you and that you're going to obsess over this when we don't even know who he is or what he wants." He told me gently.

"Tristan…please?" I asked him.

"I'll watch over her." Bors said walking up to us.

"I can take care of her." Tristan told him.

"I'm not trying to do anything but help a friend. I can ride better then her and will be able to keep her out of trouble." Bros replied.

"Fine." Tristan said and looked at me.

"We'll be back soon." I said and kissed him deeply. "I love you."

Bors and I mounted the horses bareback and left the barn. I knew these woods better than Bors and was able to keep him on his toes, which was a small amusement to me. We rode them hard before stopping by the lake. I let Mathias wade into the water before sliding from his back and walking to shore. Diesel didn't listen to Bors who was yelling when the horse didn't stop as he neared the water. Bors simply held on as the horse launched himself into the water after his brother. I laughed as a drenched Bors came stumbling out of the water.

"I hate your horse." He told me.

"No you don't. You just don't like his free spirit." I smiled at him.

"They're something all right." He said sitting next to me. "So what's on your mind?" He asked.

"I'm just frustrated is all. We don't know a damn thing about Demetrios and that bothers me. There should be something out there but there isn't. He wants Tristan dead but I don't know why. I don't like not having answers. I didn't find him again to lose him again." I replied.

"You won't lose him. Not while we're all here." Bors said putting an arm around me.

"You aren't used to this time. I don't know if there is anything you can do." I told him.

"We'll figure something out." He smiled.

"I know we will. I just don't know how long we have."

Bors gently rubbed my arm as we sat. We watched the horses play in the water, sitting in silence. He knew that I needed to think, to clear my head to try and clarify all the recent events. I loved that he knew me so well. Parts of me realized how much Tristan didn't know me. The thought filled my head and I couldn't help but wish to just leave, go back to Rome with the people who knew me best. I ran my hand down my pants and remembered the red dress that Tristan had gotten for me. It became quite clear that for the first time in a while I was confused.

* * *

Demetrios sat on his private jet. He didn't know where she lived but he would return to the Ranch and get the information that he needed. They would know where to find her. Though they knew what he had done. There was little hope to say that they would give up the information freely. He'd have to work for it. But that could be done. It would be for the greater good. The good for his family and what he knew was rightly theirs.

"Hello?" He asked answering his cell. "I'm still hours away. I'm going to Montana again. The Ranch that I saw them at before, the people who own it will know where she is. They sold her two horses."

"Are you sure?" His grandfather's voice spoke into his ear.

"Yes. They are friends of hers. It shouldn't take long for me to track her down."

"Keep me posted on your progress. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

"I understand. I'll call you when I have anything new." He replied.

"Good."

The line went dead and he looked out as the ocean started below them. He laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. When he opened them again the ocean was gone and mountains were visible. The pilot announced their arrival and soon the plane landed on a private strip. He buttoned his suit and shook hands with the man who met him as he exited the plane.

"I have a vehicle waiting for you. I am at your disposal. Just let me know if you need anything." The man told him as they walked to the car.

"Good." Demetrios told the man without looking at him.

He didn't waste any time giving the driver orders. They were soon off. The ranch was only a few hours away, perfect for what needed to be done. He played scenarios in his mind of the way it may go. Pete and Nana would be more than protective of their friend. He had thought of Margie but knew that she knew nothing. The girl was useless. He glanced at the man next to him.

"Are you willing to get dirty?" Demetrios grinned at him.

The man frowned. "Like I told you, I am at your disposal. I'll do whatever you need of me."

"Good." Demetrios grinned. "I may need you if this doesn't go as planned."

"And what is your plan?" The man asked.

"First, what is your name?" Demetrios asked.

"Tom Flanders." The man replied.

"Alright, Tom, my plan is none of your business." He told him calmly.

"How am I to assist you if I don't know what you're planning?" Tom asked.

"Do you honestly think I can trust you?" Demetrios countered.

Tom didn't say anything. The remained of the trip was silent. Demetrios's excitement grew as the ranch came into view. He would undoubtedly run into some visitors but he was unworried. When the car finally stopped he got out of the car, leaving Tom inside of it. He walked to the office, inside finding a young girl.

"Hey there honey." She said with a thick southern accent.

"Well my, my, my, what a sweet thing we have here." Demetrios told her charmingly.

The girl blushed. "What can I do for you handsome?" She grinned at him.

"I'm sure there are many things you could help me with." He grinned and winked. He had her undivided attention. First impressions were powerful and he had found a way to get the couple alone. "But that aside, I was wondering if I could have a private audience with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson?" He asked sweetly.

The girl was still grinning at him. She nodded and disappeared into the back of the building. He looked around. Pictures and maps littering the walls, woodland decorations as well as artwork accompanying them. It was homely, and to most it would be appreciated but to him it was the opposite. He wasn't fond of all the nature scenery. He enjoyed the woods but the decorations in this room were nothing that he liked. He glanced behind the counter to see a living area, undoubtedly where the couple lived. He waited only a few minutes more before a smiling face greeted him.

"Hi there." Pete Johnson grinned at him. "What can I do for you today?" Then he got an odd expression on his face. "You look familiar." He told Demetrios.

"I've been here before." Demetrios replied. "I was looking to have a private word with you and your wife." He told him.

"May I ask what about?" Pete asked him.

"A donation." Demetrios grinned.

Pete looked at him a moment before smiling. "We have a study just around the corner here." Pete said showing him the way. "If you wait inside I'll get my wife." He smiled.

"Thank you." Demetrios smiled at him. So far it was going just as smoothly as he had hoped.

* * *

A few hours had passed and the smoothness of the operation had quickly disappeared. Pete sat tied to a chair in the center of the study. His mouth gagged and blood trickled from the side of his head. His wife, Nana, sat in a corner. Her wrists were bound and tears stained her face. Demetrios paced a circle around Mr. Johnson and eyed the Mrs. They had told him nothing so far, leaving him with no choice then to harm them.

"Why are you protecting her? What connection do you have with her? That is other then with the horses you sold her." He asked them. Nana remained silent. He hit Pete hard across his jaw. Nana didn't say a word, as per Demetrios's orders. "Good job Nana." He smiled. "Now, I am a patient man. I can do this for as long as it takes. So tell me what I'd like to know. Where is Paige Winters?" He asked them again.

"We don't know where she lives." Nana said softly. Pete tried to talk but it was useless. "Pete, we don't have a choice and I am not going to let him do anything more to you." She told her husband. "Paige lives a very solitary life. We have never had an address for her. She doesn't wish people to know where she is. All we know is that she lives here in Montana in a secluded spot. She has no neighbors and no phone." Nana told him.

"That is extremely unhelpful." Demetrios said starting to loose his patience.

"That's all we know." Nana told him. "I promise you that that is all we know."

"Who else knows her? She wrote that book. Her editor, Carol Figgins, do you know her?" He asked.

"No we don't." Nana told him.

"All righty then." He told them. "I'm going to untie you now Mr. Johnson. But I'm telling you both that if you contact her in any way about me being here you'll see me again, only I will be the last thing you ever see. Understand?" He told them.

"Yes." Nana said with tears streaming.

"Good." He said roughly pulling the rope from the man's wrists.

Pete stood and pulled the gag from his mouth. "Get out you sonofabitch." He told him.

Demetrios grinned at him. "I'm leaving you alive. I suggest you be a little nicer to me." He told him. "Talk and I will kill you." He said and left them.

He got back into the car and told Tom to drive. He made a call. The Johnson's had been less helpful then he had expected and now he needed to go to someone closer to the girl. He needed to find one Carol Figgins.


	9. Trouble In Our Midst

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters**

**A/N: Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. Please review and tell me what you think. It would be most appreciated! =]**

* * *

_**Chapter Nine: Trouble in Our Midst**_

Bors and I continued to sit by the lake even after the sun went down. I just didn't want to go back. The horses had moved from the lake to graze on the grass by its shore. I had been thinking for hours but had yet to come up with any solutions. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, lying back in the grass. Bors leaned back on his forearm and looked at me. He put his hand on my stomach affectionately.

"How are you doin' in there?" He asked me.

"Horrible." I told him putting my hand on top of his.

"What are you thinking?"

"That I have come up with no solutions about this whole thing. We have nothing on this guy and little hope that something is going to come up. Tristan was almost killed. I've lost so much. I won't be able to stand loosing someone else." I replied.

"You won't." He said and kissed my forehead.

"Don't do anything stupid while you're here." I told him.

"I won't." He said softly.

"Okay." I sighed.

"Come here." He said and I rolled into his arms.

"I love you Bors." I told him.

"I love you too." He said and kissed my hair.

"I 'spose we should go back." I told him.

"Take your time."

I smiled. "You've wanted to go back for a while haven't you?"

He looked at me but a smile broke on his face. "Maybe."

"I know you better then you think." I grinned at him.

"And I you. I knew you needed to stay as long as you needed to."

"That's because you're one of my best friends." I told him.

"At least we're on the same page…Paige." He said with a grin.

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're so funny." I told him sarcastically.

He laughed and helped me to my feet. "I try."

I whistled and the boys trotted up to us. I grinned at the horses, stroking their faces. Bors helped me up onto Mathias's back before he jumped onto Diesel. It was dark but the boys and I knew the way back. The moon shed some light and we took our time walking back to the house. When the lights were finally seen I almost stopped. I was starting to miss my secluded life. My home had never had so many people in it and as much as I loved the people inside of it I did miss my old life. I still had the same feeling that there was something about Demetrios that was obvious. There was a familiarity about him that I knew but just couldn't place. As we stepped up the porch I decided to push it aside for the night. There was no sense in driving myself crazy with it. It would come to me. I just hoped it wasn't too late when it finally did.

"You're back." Gawain said greeting us at the door.

"Hey." I said and put my arms around his neck.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I don't know." I replied. His grip around me tightened and I buried my face in his neck. "Have I mentioned how much I missed you?" I asked him softly.

"It can't be as much as I missed you." He whispered back.

"Paige…?" Tristan said coming from upstairs with Ludo.

Ludo came to my side and sat down. I smiled at Tristan and let go of Gawain. I walked up to him and put my hands on the sides of his face. I kissed him lightly before going to the kitchen. I was followed and I turned to see nearly everyone in the household watching me. Guinn and Arthur were the only ones not present. I smiled before going to the fridge and opening a bottle of water. No one was saying anything. I sighed and glared at them.

"If you don't stop looking at me like that, you're all going to get hit." I told them threateningly. They all averted their eyes but still didn't say anything. I sighed and looked at my feet as I crossed my arms. "I'm going to bed." I told them and went upstairs with my dog.

I changed as I heard people moving around downstairs. I crawled into bed and Ludo jumped up next to me. I put my arms around him, burying my face in his fur. He sighed and his tail gently thumped on the bed. I smiled and breathed the dog in. He was my ever faithful companion. Just him being there calmed me. He had never failed me and he never would. I closed my eyes and sleep took me quickly.

* * *

When I woke up Ludo was lying on his bed sleeping. I smiled and felt arms around me. I laced my fingers with Tristan's. I turned and faced him. He was still sleeping. I smiled and ran my fingers gently through his hair. He was a sound sleeper. I kissed his forehead before slowly getting out of the bed. I took in the scent of coffee as I walked down the stairs. I went into the kitchen and got myself a wonderful cup of the heavenly liquid. I smiled as I drank it, sitting at the island. Soon a groggy looking Bors came into the room. I smiled at him, still ecstatic to see him. He kissed my forehead and got himself his own cup of coffee. He took a long drink as he sat next to me.

"That's good stuff." He told me.

"Yes it is." I smiled at him.

"You look happier this morning." He stated.

"I am just happy you're here." I said putting my arms around him.

"I am too." He said kissing my forehead again.

"Good morning." Guinn grinned coming into the kitchen.

"Morning!" I grinned at her. "You look radiant this morning."

"Yes." She grinned back.

Arthur came into the room and placed an adorable kiss on her shoulder. I grinned at them. They were so happy. Arthur placed one more before turning to me and Bors. He smiled at us before walking around the island to me. He smiled and kissed my cheek. I smiled up at him, putting my arm around his waist.

"Feeling better this morning?" He asked.

"Yes." I said standing up. "Thanks for asking." I smiled kissing his cheek.

"Now for breakfast." Arthur said walking to the fridge.

"Uh-oh." I smiled. "While you try and figure it all out I'm going to wake everyone else." I told them.

I walked to the den where Gawain and Galahad were sleeping. They seemed content enough. I smiled at them before going to the end of the bed and crawling in between them. I laid on my side and put my arm around Gawain. He stirred but didn't wake. I smiled and rested my chin on his arm. I ran the back of my hand down his face. His eyebrows furrowed and he turned and looked at me.

"Morning." I smiled at him.

"I always wondered what it would be like to wake up with you in my bed." He grinned.

I glared at him but the next moment hands were on my sides and I was squirming as Galahad squeezed them. Gawain joined in and a moment later we were all tangled in the blankets. Soon Bors came in with his cup of coffee. He looked at us with a raised brow. We all stopped and looked at him.

"We're done." I told him. He just nodded and walked back into the kitchen. "He's a good dad." I told the boys as I started to get out of the bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gawain said with his arms around me.

I laughed and leaned back against him. "There is one more I need to wake up." I told him, pulling from his arms. I looked at him and his smile seemed forced. I stopped and looked at him. I sighed and kissed his forehead. "I'll be right back." I smiled at him. Just as I walked away Ludo jumped up onto the bed with them. He draped himself across Gawain's lap. I grinned as I left the room.

I walked back upstairs and to the bedroom. I opened the door and Tristan was still sleeping. He was on his back and I quietly crawled onto the bed. I crawled over him, smiling down on his sleeping form. I lowered my head and kissed him gently. He stirred but didn't wake. I smiled and kissed him again, on the next kiss his lips formed around mine, kissing me deeply.

"Hi." He said without opening his eyes.

"Hi." I said lowering myself on top of him. "Time to get up." I told him kissing his chest. He just groaned a little. "Come on." I said kissing him once more. "Breakfast is being made and I'm afraid we may not have a house if we're not down there." He nodded and rolled out of bed. I frowned as I watched him go into the bathroom. "Is something bothering you?" I asked him.

"Nothing for you to worry about." He told me.

"Tell me what's wrong." I said following him, leaning against the doorframe.

"Honey it's nothing." He said putting his hands on the counter. He looked at me through the mirror. "Don't look at me like that." He told me.

"Then how am I supposed to look at you?" I asked him annoyed. "Why won't you tell me?"

"Because it's personal." He said turning to me.

I frowned at him. He looked exactly like Tristan but this was just another moment showing me that they were nothing alike. I didn't say anything, just turned and walked back downstairs. I heard my name but he had pushed my buttons and I didn't want to look at him right now. I walked into the den and Gawain was still lying in bed. Gal was in the kitchen with the others. They seemed to be in deep conversation over something. I should've gone to help them but instead I crawled back into the bed, lying next to Gawain. His eyes had been closed but he wasn't sleeping. He rolled over and looked at me.

"What is it?" He asked me.

"I just have some things going through my head. Unhappy things." I told him.

"Like what?" He asked pulling me against him.

"That I really don't belong here." I told him. "The more I try and belong to this time I just think of you and the others. I miss Tristan…our Tristan. There's one upstairs who comes from his family but he's nothing like the man I loved so long ago. He won't confide in me and of all the things I hate, that is one of the worst. You tell me everything, don't you?" I asked him.

"Of course." He told me.

"Tristan is different and I know I can live with that but it seems so hard sometimes. It would be easier to just go home with you." I told him.

"Is this a decision or just a conversation?" He asked me.

"Just a conversation." I said resting my head on his chest. "I have missed you so much. All of you being here changes things." I told him

"In what way?" He asked running his fingers through my hair.

"I don't know." I said closing my eyes. "I'm just so confused right now." I whispered.

Gawain put his arms around me, placing a kiss on my head. "It'll be all right. You'll always have a home with me."

"Thank you." I smiled and looked at him.

"You're welcome." He said and kissed my forehead.

A moment later I heard Tristan come downstairs. I stayed with Gawain only a moment more before getting out of the bed. He tried to get me to stay and I felt bad but I couldn't. As confused as I may be I did love Tristan and even though I was confused I would never be disloyal. I smiled and kissed his forehead before I left. I went into the kitchen and grinned as the legendary Sarmatian Knights made an attempt at cooking with things they didn't know anything about. I pulled out the frying pan and took the eggs from the fridge. In a short time I had made a hearty breakfast that tasted extremely good as we sat around the table talking. Tristan was the only one who seemed to be forcing his happiness. I had my moments when I looked at him but I didn't want to fight with him right now.

"I'm going to clean up." I smiled as the chatter started to die down.

"I'll help you." Gawain said grabbing a few plates.

"Thank you." I smiled at him.

"You were never good at the maids work anyway." He grinned from behind me.

I laughed as we went into the kitchen. I had just put the plates by the sink when I heard the door burst open. I looked at Gawain and we both rushed to the entryway. Carol was walking toward me with a look of fright.

"What is it?" I asked her concerned.

"Pete and Nana…" She said and stopped. Her voice was dripping with fear. "They were held hostage and beaten in their own home. The man who did it was looking for information about you." She told me quickly.

"What?" I asked her, my breath catching in my throat.

"Then, late last night…" She said her voice cracking. Tears were in her eyes.

"What happened?" I asked her.

"My house was blown up." She told me as tears fell down her cheeks.

"What? How?" I asked her.

"I don't know. I had gone to see my sister and had gone home after midnight but when I got there my house was in flames and firemen and police were littering the street." She explained.

"But you're okay?" I asked her.

"Yes." She nodded.

I looked around to see everyone watching her. She was terrified but at the same time I needed to know who it was and what they had found at Carol's.

"Do you know who it was?" I asked her.

"No." She replied.

"Was anything missing?" I asked her.

"I don't know. By the time the fire was out everything was destroyed. But they said it was arson. They opened up an investigation."

"Jesus…" I said and put a hand over my mouth. Only one person came to mind. The man we knew nothing about now knew where we were. We needed to leave. "It was him." I said and looked at Tristan. "It has to be."

"We don't know that." Tristan told me.

"Who else would it be? The one time I leave this house and I get everyone I know into trouble. You need to leave. You all need to leave." I told them.

"Not just us, you too." Gawain told me. There wasn't time before there was a gun shot that hit the wall just inches from Gawain. "Get down!" I said forcing him to the ground.

Everyone dropped to the floor. "What was that?" Galahad asked.

"Out the back." I told them quietly. "Go!" I urged and watched them go. "I'm right behind you." I said and looked at Tristan.

"Don't do anything stupid." He told me.

"I have a gun. I have weapons and we need them." I told him.

There were two other shots fired into the house. "I know where some of them are." He told me.

"No, you go watch over the others. Remember they're not from here." I told him.

"Be careful." He told me.

"Go." I told him before darting through the ground floor, gathering all of the weapons I could carry.

I had the dagger, my sword and handgun from the closet. I was just about to go upstairs when the door was kicked open. Demetrios Doukas was standing in the doorway. He immediately saw me and raised his gun.

"Hello Paige." He grinned at me.

"Demetrios, what the heck are you doing here?" I asked with a sarcastic friendly voice.

"I've come to kill you and all of your friends." He said with the same tone.

"You know, I think they left a little bit ago." I told him.

He laughed. "Oh I know they did. But if I have you, they'll come running." He said and shot the gun.

I knew he was going to shoot me so I made no time in running up the stairs. I went into my bedroom and took the two other daggers I had along with my quiver and bow from the closet. He was at the door, attempting to break it down. He would any moment now so I quickly went to the window. I tried the locks but the widow had been jammed for quite some time. I looked through the large window, knowing what I would have to do. I moved to the other side of the room and looked at it. I groaned as I built myself up.

"It's going to cost me to fix this." I told myself before running at top speed toward the window.

I closed my eyes as I launched myself through the window. It broke and I fell onto the roof below it and then rolled from there onto the ground. The landing was rough and it was God's will that I hadn't stabbed myself upon landing. I was attempting to get to my feet when I looked up to see Gawain running toward me. His arms moved around my waist and he helped me away from the house. The truck and Carol's car were on and waiting to be loaded up. I handed the weapons to Gal and Bors and they put them in the car. I kept one dagger and looked at him. All of the dogs were in the truck and I looked at Ludo and my knights.

"I can't leave my horses." I told them. "He'll kill them. I can't leave them."

"They'll be okay." Tristan told me.

"No!" I replied. "And the pictures. I can't leave them. They're all I have of him and of you." I said looking at them.

"We don't have time for this." Tristan said grabbing my arm.

"Let go of me." I told him coldly. He obeyed.

"You're hurt. We don't have time." Bors told me sweetly.

"Maybe not, but I'm doing it anyway. I know my house. I can get in and out while evading one man. I'll get my horses and I'll contact you later." I told them.

"You can't do this alone. You need someone to cover you." Arthur told me.

"Volunteering?" I asked him. Guinn looked from me to him. "No, Arthur, take care of your wife and the others. Down the road here go left. About, maybe, twelve miles down there will be an overgrown trail. It's big enough to drive down and I go down it with the horses from time to time. Go down the road a few miles and wait for me." I told them. No one was moving. "Go, I'll be right behind you." I told them. "Don't do anything stupid." I said looking at Gawain before I turned back to the house.

I ran to the house and leaned up against it. I broke the window to the basement and slipped inside of the house. I looked out long enough to see everyone getting into the cars. I went to the stairs and slowly climbed them. When I entered the entryway there was footsteps upstairs. I quickly went into the den but a moment later I heard a gun being cocked behind me. I turned to see Demetrios grinning at me.

"Wonderful artwork." He said walking into the room. I glared at him but didn't say anything. "They're from the past aren't they? From the trip you took there." He said looking at them. "Funny though. I don't see any from my family up there."

"Get out of my house." I told him quickly.

"You've already deserted it. It's my house now." He grinned.

"Like hell it is." I shot at him.

"Careful. I am the one with the gun."

"You think I'm afraid of a gun?" I grinned at him. "I can endure much more pain then you."

He laughed. "I think not."

"You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Of course I do." He said lowering the gun and stepping up to me. "I'm dealing with a pathetic…little…girl." He said grinning at him.

I laughed at him. He laughed as well only in the next moment I gave him a hard blow to the abdomen snatching the gun from his hand at the same time. I dropped the clip out of the gun and tossed both pieces away from each other.

"Well done. I'm impressed." He told me.

"And that's just the beginning." I said and punched him hard across the face.

He did the same but before he could hit me again I had taken out his legs. He hit me hard in the ribs and I stumbled giving him time to grab my throat and shove me against the wall. My head hit it hard and for a moment I was dazed. He let go and put several blows into my abdomen. I took it until he stopped to catch his breath. I fell to my knees, hunched over. It was merely a ploy to make him think he was doing damage. The pain was great but nothing I couldn't handle. I started to laugh and I looked up at him. He frowned at me but I grabbed his privates and twisted. He yelled in pain. With my other hand I pulled the dagger from my belt loop and let him go as I swung it at him. I slashed his arm as he moved to block himself. He stumbled backward and looked at me. I smiled at him and bowed slightly, telling him I was ready for more. He stood and faced me.

"Tired?" I grinned at him. His arm was bleeding freely and he looked from me to the wound.

"I may have underestimated you." He told me.

"A respite then?" I asked him. He didn't say anything. My smile disappeared and I once more glared at him. "Like I told you before. Get out of my house." I told him.

He nodded and left. I took a deep breath before turning to the pictures. I wasn't going to risk leaving them. I rolled them and put them in a cylindrical case I had for them. I quickly put it over my head, resting it on my shoulder. I ran to the barn, pushing open the doors. To my great surprise Gawain was with them all saddled and ready to go. I grinned at him and mounted Diesel before running from the barn. We raced through the trees. Gawain followed me closely as I led the way. The trail was still a ways away. I just hoped that Tristan had found it. After we were a ways from the house I slowed Diesel, allowing him to rest. Gawain did the same and he looked at me.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

"Yes." I told him. "I've fought before. Remember the Sax –" I said and stopped. I frowned as my mind worked.

"What is it?" Gawain asked.

"He didn't see any of his family up there." I told him. I looked at him as the light bulb went off in my head. "He's a Saxon. He is a descendent from a Saxon line. That's why he wants Tristan so bad. That's why he wants all of you. Killing you means that he would kill the hope of Britain from your time. Killing you here would mean you would never return. I'm sure there are still Saxons out there somewhere. With you out of the picture they can take back the land. If Demetrios knows about the spell that Merlin gave you he may try and go back himself." I explained. "Come on." I said and started to run again.

When the trail came into view there was no sign of the cars. "Where do you think they are?" He asked.

I moved to the right. "We're miles down the road from them. I just wanted them to go down far enough as not to be seen." I told him. "Why did you stay?" I asked him. "I specifically told you not to do anything stupid and staying was stupid."

"I was your back up. I heard the fighting and was going to give you only a few more minutes before I was going to go in after you." He replied.

I smiled at him. "Thank you for staying." I told him.

"I wouldn't have done anything else." He smiled back.

My smile faltered and I looked at him. "Did Tristan offer to stay behind?" I asked him.

"No." He replied.

"Coward." I said angrily.

"Trouble in paradise?" Gawain asked.

"I don't know." I told him. "He's got Tristan's looks but he's so different. My husband would have never let me stay behind by myself and wouldn't have let my stubbornness get in the way. The Tristan I have today is a history teacher with no backbone. I do love him but sometimes I think I do because I loved my husband so much. I've never stopped loving him. I keep seeing him, even in a different man; it makes me feel like I'm closer to him. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" I asked him.

"I do." He told me. "I wish I could change things for you. I wish I could have stopped your husband's death. If he were still alive you would still be with us."

I smiled at him. "I would have loved that."

We were quiet as we walked down the trail and soon everyone came into view. I walked Diesel up to them before dismounting and looking at them.

"You're hurt." Bors stated.

"Yes." I told him and looked at everyone. "This was only the first attempt. He's not going to quit. It was Demetrios and he wants all of us dead. He already hurt the Johnson's and tried to kill Carol. He knows who you are and what killing you would mean. I strongly believe that he's a Saxon." I told them. They all exchanged glances. Tristan was the only one who didn't seem to grasp the direness of what that meant. I looked at him and sighed. "You may have studied the Saxons but you know nothing about them. They are horribly vicious and it appears that even though it's decades later they are angry as ever." I told them. "You have not seen destruction until you've seen the work of Saxons. If they have any kind of multitude we're in big trouble." I told all of them. "We have no where to go." I stated.

"We'll go to my place." Tristan told me.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." I told him.

"Why not?" He asked annoyed. "We don't have anywhere else to go."

"I know but that's a long ways away and I don't want to bring trouble through the states."

"He won't know we're there." He stated.

"You're wrong." I told him. "He knows who you are. I'm sure he's already been to your home. It's a good thing your father's dead or he would have had to endure the rage of a Saxon."

We were all quiet as we tried to think of what to do. My home was broken, Carol's destroyed, and Tristan's compromised. We were running out of options faster than we could think of them.


	10. Decisions

_**Chapter Ten: Decisions**_

The fire was small but it was doing its purpose. The venison was cooked and everyone ate in silence. We had returned to the house only to get what was needed. There was no guarantee that Demetrios wouldn't return and I wasn't going to risk my family's life on it. I was rolling out my sleeping bag when Tristan knelt next to me.

"Are you sure this is the best we can do?" He asked me.

I sighed and shook my head. "We've been over this. These woods are vast. It'll by us time if they don't know where we are. We need a plan but that can wait until tomorrow. Are the dogs all fed and securely tied?" I asked him.

"All but Ludo." He replied. "I have a feeling we're falling apart here." He said looking at me.

I stopped and sat back on my heels. I looked at him and didn't know what to say to him. "I think we might be. Do you want to save us?" I asked him.

"Do you want to be with Gawain?" He countered.

"That's not fair." I told him.

"Life isn't fair." He replied. "You wanted to know what was bothering me, well this is it."

"I don't know. I know him well and he knows me." I said continuing to ready my bed.

"And I don't?"

"Not as well as he does." I stated.

"So you're going to give up on us just like that?" He asked.

"I didn't say I was giving up."

"Then what are you saying?"

I stopped again and locked eyes with him. "What I'm saying is that I'm confused. You look exactly like my husband. I thought I had gotten over that and just loved you for you. Then they come back and I remember where they're from. Where _I'm_ from. I see them and I see him. Gawain was there for me after Tristan died. He's always been there. All of them have always been there and I have missed them more than I can say. Being with you and seeing them makes everything complicated. They want me to go back with them. They want me to leave." I told him.

"And are you?" Tristan asked angrily.

"I haven't decided yet. My first priority is to keep us alive."

He sighed and watched me as I finished. "I love you Paige." He told me.

"I love you too." I replied.

"I used to believe that." He said standing and walking away.

I watched him walk but made no move to follow him. I didn't want to worry about my love life right now. I had bigger fish to worry about. I was surrounded by people I loved and needed to protect with everything in me. I would worry about me and Tristan later. Right now I needed to protect my knights and my best friend.

"Are you all right?" Guinn asked me.

"I will be." I smiled.

"You can tell me anything." She stated.

"I know." I replied, still smiling.

"So talk to me." She told me seriously.

I sighed and told her to take a walk with me. We walked away from the camp and when I was certain we were out of earshot of the men I stopped and sat on a fallen tree. Guinn sat next to me and just waited for me to talk to her. She was patient and she knew me better than to try and pry it out of me. I took a deep breath and sighed.

"Things are falling apart. Everything is not like it was. I have been running for so long. When Tristan came into my life I finally stopped running. I finally stopped and started to live again. I found a man that made me love again. He made me live again. I had forgotten what it was like but having a man in my life makes me so happy. I was happy with Tristan." I said and stopped.

"Was?" Guinn asked.

"I don't know anymore." I told her. "I'm so confused. I was perfectly content until you and the others came." I looked at her and a sad expression crossed her face. "I don't mean to offend." I told her. "It's not a bad thing. It's just when it all started to happen."

"Does Gawain have a part of play in this?" She asked me.

I nodded and sighed again. "Yes he does." I said and looked at her. She gave me a small smile. "Ever since I was in Britain, everything in my life has been connected to that place. For the past five years everything I've done has been because of you and the others. Being alone has been my life because I was stupid enough to leave." I paused again and took a deep breath to control the tears that were stinging my eyes. "Tristan looks exactly like my husband but was different enough to pull me away from Britain and what happened there. He was different enough even though the blood in his veins once was in Tristan's. I fell in love with him because of that. I fell in love with him because of the ring I wear around my neck. But now that you're all back it makes me remember everything about Britain and how much I do want to go back. I want to be with you. I want to be with all of you."

"And Tristan?" Guinn asked.

"That's the really complicated part. I love him but ever since you all have been here I have been drawn to Gawain. He loves me. He loves me and I feel guilty being with another man when I have one that loves me for all of me and knows me better then the man I'm with. It's just so damn complicated." I told her.

"It doesn't have to be." She replied.

"How?" I asked her.

"Who do you love more?" She asked me.

A tear ran down my cheek and I looked up into the sky. "I don't know." I told her.

"You'll figure it out." She said putting her arm across my shoulders.

"Yeah." I said turning and hugging her.

We sat for a while longer before we finally went back to the others. When they came into view they were all sitting around the fire. The sun was nearly down and with it the tension was building. I sat next to Bors. Not wanting to be next to Gawain or Tristan. He nudged me and gave me a questioning look. I shrugged my shoulders and played with a stick I had picked up. He just frowned at me and shook his head. I sighed and glared at him. There was small chatter but everyone remained mostly silent. I didn't know what to say and I wasn't sure what to do. I was out of ideas. There was no fortress here. No where safe from a man who clearly had resources to do whatever he pleased. The only grace I knew was that he was wounded and that would buy us at least a day. When we were all finally turning in I went to where I had unrolled my sleeping bag to see Tristan sitting on one next to it.

"Hi." He said sheepishly.

"Hi." I said, my voice more air than sound.

"Sit with me." He told me.

"Tristan…" I said as tears filled my eyes.

"Just…please, sit with me." He said again.

I sighed and sat cross-legged in front of him. "Okay." I said looking at him.

"We need to talk." He told me.

"I know we do." I replied nodding. "But there are other things to worry about right now." I told him.

"I know there is. I know that this is the worst time to talk about this. A man is out to kill us and I'm not ready to die and unwilling to put any of the others in jeopardy. But we need to talk about this right now. Because if something changes and this thing we have doesn't make it, I'll leave." He told me.

"What?" I asked him.

"If I'm not what you want, I'll leave and you and the others can go back to Britain. Go home if that's what to want." He replied.

"I am home." I told him.

"You know that's not true." He told me.

"I have two homes but this is my home. I spent a lot of time building that house back there." I replied.

"I know." He smiled.

"That's just it. I know you know because you know the me from this time. You know me from this time and they know me from theirs. When it comes to being happy, then I was happier there. I was happy with them and at the fortress and with all of the villagers. But that doesn't mean I'm not happy here. We've had a good run you and me. We've been happy. I have been so happy with you." I said as tears came to my eyes. "Up until they came I was sure of what I wanted. But the more I'm with them the fogger everything gets. I don't know what to do."

"How do you feel about Gawain?" He asked lowering his eyes.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks and looked over my shoulder where Gawain and Galahad were talking. "I love him." I told him honestly. "I'm just not sure who I love more. This is the worst time ever to doubt myself and you. I just fell in love with a time and this time isn't it."

He looked at me sadly. "I can make up your mind for you." He told me.

"Tristan…" I said not wanting him to say anything more.

He put his hand on my cheek and kissed me deeply. I kissed him back and put my hands on his neck. I kissed him hard, moving into his lap. A moment later I stopped and looked at him. He was a beautiful man. His arms moved around me and he held me against him. I put my arms around his neck and played with the hair at the nape of his neck. I kissed him deeply and rested my forehead against his. I looked at him and ran my fingers down his face. There was no question that I didn't love him. I just didn't know if I loved him enough.

That night he held me, but I couldn't sleep. As soon as I knew that he was asleep I quietly got up and walked from the camp. I sat on a fallen tree that overlooked a field that had deer grazing in it. I had only been gone a few minutes before I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Gawain. I sighed and looked back at the deer. He sat next to me but didn't say anything.

"You shouldn't be here." I told him.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because I don't trust myself." I told him quietly.

"That's okay." He replied turning my face towards him.

"No it's not." I said looking him in the eyes. "I am with Tristan. I love him."

"And I love you." He whispered as his face moved closer to mine.

"Gawain…" I said but didn't want to stop him.

A moment later his lips were against mine and it seemed as if a spark was lit. I put my arms around his neck and leaned into him as he kissed me. I moved into his lap and kissed him deeply. His hands moved over my body and it felt so good. I felt the worst guilt because it felt so good. But I quickly pushed the feeling away as he gently laid me on the ground. I unbuttoned his shirt as he tried to undo my jeans. He fumbled and I couldn't help but laugh. He was rough, but in a way that made me feel wonderful. I pulled my clothes off as he did the same. I ran my hands down his body before kissing him passionately. We fell into rhythm and I couldn't help but yell with pleasure. I stifled the sound with his mouth as he continued to kiss me. He kissed my neck and down between my breasts. I arched up against him before we stopped, panting and sweating against each other.

"Wow." I told him.

"Wow." He whispered and kissed me.

"That was amazing." I whispered in his ear.

"You were wonderful." He smiled down at me. I grinned at him and kissed him. "What does this mean?" He asked me.

"I don't know." I told him.

"Don't break my heart." He told me sadly.

"I think mine's the one who's going to get broken." I replied.

"Not if you're with me. I've been waiting a long time for this moment." He told me sweetly. "And it was everything I had hoped it would be."

I grinned and kissed him deeply. "It felt right." I told him softly.

"Yes." He whispered and placed a soft kiss on my nose.

I laughed and kissed him. I wrapped my arms around him as he ran his fingers through my hair. The moon was the only light we had but it made him even more attractive to me. I ran my fingers down his face, smiling at him. It soon faded and I sat up, him moving next to me. I grabbed my shirt and bra, putting them on.

"What is it?" He asked him. I smiled at him sadly and he knew what I meant. "You're not going to stay with me are you?" He asked with a small smile.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. Since you've been here I've fallen for you." I told him honestly. "I've fallen hard and I've questioned my relationship with Tristan. I love him but I do love you. More than I ever thought I would. That has fogged my mind more then I can say. I just don't know what to do, Gawain. I don't know." I said and took a deep breath.

He put his arm around me and kissed my neck. I rested my forehead against his. He was such a good man. I didn't want to have to try and choose between them. I didn't want to hurt either one of them. I just wanted to be happy. I just wanted to be with a man that loved me more than anything. A man who would do anything for me, and the only reason I wanted that was because that's what they would get in return. I wasn't the type to cheat but here I was doing just that. Tristan and I may be in a rocky point but that was no excuse. Further, the sex with Gawain had made me feel like I was whole again. It made me feel like my husband did. Tristan Branas made me feel that way too, but in a different way. Gawain was familiar and his roughness intensified the moment. Tristan was gentle. Both had bodies to die for. The more I thought about it the more I came to realize that all of us would be better off if we went our different ways.

My guilt grew as we finished dressing. Gawain continued to be sweet and forward and I couldn't help but lean in and kiss him. I tried to stop. I tried to just get dressed and leave but it was no use. We had barely finished dressing when I felt his hands start to lift my shirt again. I told him to stop. I moved his hands away from me. He looked angry and he slammed me against the nearest tree. It hurt but I was nothing but calm as he pressed against me. I shoved him away from me before putting my hands on his head and kissed him hard. He threw me to the ground and pulled off his shirt. I couldn't help but laugh as he came down on top of me. Any guilt stopped there as we once again made love among the stars.

* * *

I felt horrible when we finally made our way back to camp. The sun had already started to shed light among the trees. Gawain kept grinning at me. He was clearly happy but I on the other hand was feeling horribly guilty. How was I supposed to tell Tristan that I slept with another man? How could I look him in the eye? When the smoke from the fire was visible it was clear that everyone was up. I was the first to reach the clearing and everyone looked up at me. I had made myself look as normal as possible but there were a few scratches that I couldn't hide.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked coming up to me. "Where have you been?"

"I needed to think." I told him.

From the other side of the clearing Gawain appeared. I almost smiled at him. He was smart and coming in from the opposite direction was a very smart thing to do. Not only that but he was carrying wood that could be used to make a fire. He placed it in the makeshift fire pit before looking at me. I could easily read his expression but I looked away. I went to my sleeping bag and sat down on it. Ludo came and sat next to me. I was exhausted. We only got a few hours of sleep and that just wasn't enough to get me through the day.

"Couldn't sleep?" Bors said sitting next to me.

"No." I told him flatly. "Too much to think about to sleep."

"I slept great." Bors said and smiled.

I smiled back at him. "How happy for you." I said looking at him.

"It'll turn out all right." He said putting an arm around me.

"He has guns. He has a step up on us. None of you would be able to beat a gun. He'll kill you in cold blood. I will not let that happen. But I don't know how to stop it." I told him as seriously as I possibly could.

"You slept with him didn't you?" Tristan asked stepping up to me.

"What?" I asked looking up at him. He had caught me off guard.

"Gawain…you slept with him didn't you." He stated. I didn't say anything. That made it obvious to everyone what had taken place. Tristan turned and looked at Gawain who was talking to Galahad. "You sonofabitch!" He yelled running toward him.

Gawain stood just in time for Tristan to hit him to the ground. "Tristan!" I yelled running after him.

"You sonofabitch!" Tristan yelled as he punched Gawain hard.

"Stop it!" I yelled grabbing his arm.

He shoved me back, making me fall to the ground. Bors yelled out and quickly helped me to my feet. He pulled me away just in time to miss Tristan falling backward as Gawain pushed him off. Tristan was no match for Gawain and I knew that.

"Gawain!" I said as he landed several punches into Tristan's body. "Stop it!" I said grabbing his arm. He didn't. "GAWAIN!" I yelled forcing him to face me. "Knock it off." I told him sternly. He was breathing hard and his lip was split. I looked at Tristan who was dazed on the ground. "Are you okay?" I asked looking down at him. He nodded as he looked up at me. I put my hand down to help him but he refused it. He got up and walked away from me. "Tristan…" I called after him but he didn't look back

I looked at everyone else. I was embarrassed and frustrated by all of this. Even Gawain wasn't looking at me. I just looked at everyone before going to Mathias and mounting him. A few said my name but I was already moving him through the woods. I raced back to my house and looked at the damage that had been sustained. Other then the broken window that I caused the house was littered with bullet holes. Several doors were broken but over all I would be able to repair it with little help. I walked through my home. It felt violated. It felt like it didn't belong to me anymore. I was just about to go upstairs when I suddenly realized that I wasn't alone. Someone was in here. A sudden dread filled me. I heard a gun shot outside. I rushed to the door to see Mathias on the ground. I rushed to the horse but it had been a good shot. I looked up into the house to see a man dressed in black standing at the upstairs window. Demetrios wasn't working alone anymore. A moment later the gun went off again. Pain seared through my arm. I fell to the ground. I moved behind Mathias, being forced to use him as a shield.

"You have no where to go!" The man yelled down to me.

"So shoot me!" I yelled. "This is bad." I told myself.

I sat there for a long time. I peered over the horse periodically to make sure the man was still there. I wasn't sure how I was going to get out of this one, but I would. I wasn't going to be shot down. Not only did I need to protect Tristan but I now needed revenge for my horse. I was relatively calm as I waited it out. Though my calm turned to dread as a familiar whine filled my ears. I looked at the edge of the trees and saw Ludo.

"STAY!" I yelled angrily to him. He whined again and dropped to his belly, starting to inch towards me. "NO! BAD DOG!" I yelled at the dog. "GO!" I told him as forcefully as I could. He didn't know what he did wrong. He just wanted to make it right. He kept moving toward me and I knew that the gun was pointed at him. "Shit!" I yelled as the dog inched forward.

I wasn't about to let him kill my dog. He already shot my horse if Ludo was caught in the crossfire there would truly be hell to pay. As the dog was nearly fully out of the woods I darted toward him and yelled. He turned his tail and darted back into the woods as a shot hit the ground just inches from where he was. There was another shot and my side split with pain. I fell but quickly got to my feet and made it into the woods. I ran as fast as I could. I was far from the men and I knew that it was unlikely that I would make it to them before the man caught up with me. I was loosing blood fast and Ludo was running at my side. He was shaken but I made sure to tell him he was a good boy before I concentrated on running for my life. I made it to the trail knowing that I was over half way there. Though I knew that my trail of blood would lead him straight to us. At the thought I fell to my knees. My breathing was harsh as I tried to catch my breath. Ludo sat in front of me and whined.

"Listen to me boy. You need to go get some help. You need to lead them here." I told him, smearing some of my blood on his coat. I wrote the word 'help' on his muzzle and told him to go. He whined but turned and ran. It was only a few minutes later that I heard a twig snap and I was hit hard from behind. "What do you want?" I asked him as I got back onto my knees.

"Money. I'm getting paid big money to kill you." He replied.

I could feel the barrel of the gun on the back of my head. "Just get it over with then. Living is overrated." I told him.

He laughed. "But without you, who will protect the others?" He asked. "You're the only one who gives them a chance. Tristan won't be able to help them and the knights' won't stand a chance against our guns. Without you they are totally helpless."

"And that's why Demetrios sent you." I stated.

"Yes. I have been sent to kill you. Killing you will open up the window to them." He stated.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Do all assassins talk as much as you do? I mean seriously. Why bother with the chit chat when you should've killed me a long time ago."

"Where's your dog?" He asked me.

"He took off when we reached the woods." I told him. "You killed my horse. I won't let you kill my dog too."

"Your horse was beautiful." He grinned. "It was a small piece of mercy that he died such a quick death."

"I wish I could say the same about you." I told him.

A moment later there was a swoosh. I turned to see an arrow sticking out of his chest. He fell to the ground but he wasn't dead. A wave of relief filled me. I looked ahead of me and Galahad was holding my bow. The others were behind him. Arthur and Bors came forward to the man. We could use him to get information about Demetrios. Only before they could say anything to him he had shot himself in the head. I sighed and stood, holding by side. Blood was flowing between my fingers.

"I may have made a mistake." I told them.

"Paige…" Tristan said stepping toward me.

"I'm sorry." I told him. Tears had sprung to my eyes. "I'm sorry." I replied as he reached me.

He put him arms around me, holding me tight. I fell into him and he quickly scooped me into his arms. He quickly took me back to the camp and laid me on the sleeping bag. Panic seemed to set in. Tristan demanded that Galahad find rags. He put pressure on my side and I yelled in pain. Gawain came to my other side and tied a piece of his shirt around the graze wound.

"What were you thinking?" Tristan asked me as he worked.

"I wasn't." I told him.

"What happened?" Gawain asked.

"Demetrios put a man in the house. He was waiting for someone to return. I was just stupid enough to walk into it. He killed Mathias." I said looking at Tristan. "He just shot him down. He tried to kill Ludo, he came after me. The stupid dog. He was going to kill him so I moved. That's how I got this one." I said holding my side.

"He's a good dog." Tristan told me. "He did everything right."

"Hi baby." I said as Ludo laid next to me. "Beautiful boy." I said stroking him. "How bad is it?" I asked Tristan.

"I've seen worse." He told me.

"Seriously?" I smiled at him.

"I may just be a teacher but I've lived an interesting life." He grinned at me.

"You've been holding out of me." I grinned at him.

"Maybe a little." He grinned back.

I laughed and put my hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry, Tristan. I'm sorry, Gawain." I said looking at him. "This has just turned into one big mess." I stated.

"Yes, but everything will be okay." Tristan told me.

"How am I looking?" I asked.

"I've stopped the bleeding." He said looking at the wound.

"I've had a thought." I told them. "We may do better if we went into the city. We can hide easier in a crowd. Split up and hide for the time being. We need to get to the library and use their computers. We've been looking for Demetrios in the wrong places. Now we have to dig deeper into the Saxons." I told him. "What about the campus?" I asked Tristan.

"I can get us in with no problem. I've spoken there before. I think they'll remember me. I'll have access to books I need through the school." He told me.

"Perfect." I said and got to my feet.

"Slowly." Gawain told me.

"That's all the healing we have time for. We need to go."


End file.
